A human smuggler was allegedly promised $200,000 by Iranian spies in exchange for the assassination of two Iranian-born journalists residing in London. This alleged ruse was intended to instill fear among Iranian dissidents dispersed throughout the globe.
According to ITV, Iran designated journalists at Iran International, which caters to Iranian audiences, Fardad Farahzad and Sima Sabet as the “bride and groom” in their assassination plot.
The agents intended to use a car bomb to target Iran International’s studios in London, according to the report.
Nevertheless, their strategy was abandoned subsequent to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leaders concluding that a knife assault on the residences of the targets would yield greater success due to the “many security guards” stationed at the studios.
Iran intended to employ a criminal who was already present in order to execute the attack; this would have provided plausible deniability for Iran’s scheme.
ITV conducted an interview with the smuggler Iran contracted to aid in the thwarting of the conspiracy by law enforcement.
A year after becoming aware of the scheme, the television network relocated its operations from the United Kingdom to the United States.
According to the human smuggler who spoke to ITV, the two presenters were singled out because they were subjecting Iran to “considerable media disgrace.”
He asserted that the Iranians intended for their executions to serve as an example and deter other dissidents from expressing dissenting opinions.
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