Greek man allegedly planted ‘camera hidden in a sock’ to spy on journalist critical of Iran’s regime

LONDON (AP) — A Greek national traveled to Britain on behalf of a foreign intelligence service to conduct surveillance on a journalist critical of the Iranian regime, prosecutors alleged Friday when the man appeared in a London courtroom to face espionage charges.

Prosecutor Lee Ingham alleged that Ioannis Aidinidis, 46, visited addresses linked to the journalist while he was in Britain, photographing and filming homes and car license plates. During the second visit he “installed a covert camera hidden in a sock” that was “able to send data to persons unknown abroad,″ Ingham said during a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London.

Aidinidis is charged with assisting the intelligence service of a foreign country, believed to be Iran, when he targeted the journalist, who works for Iran International, a Persian-language media outlet critical of the country’s Islamic government. He is alleged to have travelled to the U.K. from April 16-21 and May 12-14.

Aidinidis, who was born in Georgia and lives in Munich, confirmed his identity through a Russian interpreter, but didn’t enter a plea. He was ordered to remain in custody until his next court appearance on June 19 at Central London Criminal Court.

London-based media organizations opposed to the Islamic Republic have been under threat for years.

Iran International temporarily moved its headquarters to Washington, D.C., in February 2023 to “protect the safety of journalists” who had been targeted by the Iranian government. The station resumed operations at a new location in London months later.