Stabbed Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati 'feeling much better' as he recounts terrifying Wimbledon attack
An Iranian journalist who was stabbed outside his London home said he was targeted because of his job as he revealed he is “feeling much better”.
Pouria Zeraati was knifed in the leg by a group of three unknown assailants as he approached his car in Wimbledon on March 29.
The journalist, who works for London-based dissident broadcaster Iran International, opened up about the attack on Tuesday.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he is “feeling much better” and recovering physically but “mentally it takes time”.
He returned to work earlier this month, and said he “insisted” on going back on air.
He recalled the attack, saying he was going to his car to head to the studio when a “suspicious” looking man approached him and asked for £3.
After telling him he did not have any change, Mr Zeraati said a second man approached and grabbed him before the first man stabbed him in the leg and the pair made off.
The journalist said a third man was waiting in a car to drive them away.
He told Today: “I just noticed all my belongings are with me, including my mobile phones, my watch, my AirPods, my wallet with cash in it, so the moment I just saw everything is with me, I noticed this is regarding my job, because it wasn’t a robbery.”
Police were called to an address in Wimbledon at 2.49pm on March 29 after reports of a man in his 30s being attacked and suffering a leg injury.
No arrests have yet been made and the Metropolitan Police believe the three suspects fled the country via Heathrow Airport within hours of the stabbing.
Iran International spokesman Adam Baillie said Tehran’s revolutionary guards have been targeting the broadcaster.
The Persian-language dissident channel aims to provide independent coverage of Iran, but the Tehran regime has declared it a terrorist organisation.
Iran’s charge d’affaires in the UK, Mehdi Hosseini Matin, has previously said “we deny any link” to the incident.