Following a stabbing attack on a Farsi-speaking journalist in the UK, the anti-terrorism unit of the London police has launched an investigation, Scotland Yard said on Friday evening.
The man, aged between 30 and 40, was attacked in the Wimbledon neighbourhood in the afternoon. He suffered injuries to his leg in the incident, but these are not thought to be life-threatening.
The police initially gave no information about the attacker or attackers. According to a report in the Telegraph, one man is said to have engaged him in conversation while another attacked him with a knife. Both are then said to have fled in a car driven by a third person.
The motive was also initially unknown. However, the anti-terrorism unit had taken over the investigation as it was a Farsi-speaking journalist and there had been a number of recent threats against this group, the statement continued.
"I must stress that, at this early stage of our investigation, we do not know the reason why this victim was attacked and there could be a number of explanations for this," said counter-terrorism unit chief Dominic Murphy.
"While we continue to assess the circumstances of this incident, detectives are following a number of lines of enquiry and our priority at this time is to try and identify whoever was behind this attack and to arrest them," he said.
He said he understood the great concern that the incident could cause, especially among journalists and people with an Iranian background.
Since 2022, police say there have been a number of foiled kidnap or even murder plots against Britons or people in the UK who are considered opponents of the Iranian government.