Image: Weibold
According to a report by the “Daily Mail” (Monday), the 30-year-old is accused of collecting information for terrorist purposes, as the “Kurier” (online) reported on Tuesday. Several Austrian newspapers had previously reported the arrest in their Tuesday editions. The Foreign Ministry confirmed the fact of the arrest on Tuesday when asked by the APA: “We can confirm that the Austrian Embassy in London was informed by the British authorities about the arrest of an Austrian citizen.” For data protection reasons, no further information on the case could be published, it said.
According to the “Daily Mail” report, the man was arrested on Saturday in Chiswick Business Park in west London. The studio of the TV channel “Iran International”, which is critical of the Iranian regime, is located in one of the office buildings on this site in the Gunnersbury district. In a report on the arrest on its website, the broadcaster indicated that the Austrian could have spied on the outlet of the medium. “Iran International” is said to have been warned by the British authorities in November that its journalists were being targeted by “Iranian agents”.
According to the Daily Mail report, the arrested person is due to appear in court again on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. CET). A first hearing on Monday was adjourned due to a lack of a law enforcement permit and problems with the interpreter. According to “Iran International”, the man is accused of violating Article 58 of the 2000 Anti-Terrorism Act. This criminalizes anyone who “collects or records information that could be of use to a person committing or preparing a terrorist act”. British law punishes such offenses with prison sentences of up to 15 years.
Source: Nachrichten
