Seven Iranian nationals have been charged with causing grevious bodily harm (GBH) after two pro-Israel protestors were attacked outside the Iran embassy in London.
Police arrested eight people after two men were set upon outside the embassy, opposite Hyde Park, just before 10am on Friday.
The force say two men, aged 37 and 39, were taken to hospital with ‘serious but non-life threatening injuries’.
They also confirmed the identities of the seven men charged with GBH, who they said all hail from Iran:
- Mohammad Nadiri, 30, of Central Street, Islington
- Pourrezaei Vahid, 41, of Hamlet Square, Cricklewood
- Armin Hasanlov, 35, of Prescot Road, Liverpool
- Esmaeil Balouchy, 50, of Brent Lea, Brentford
- Saeed Hosseingholipoor, 34, of Wilkins Close, Mitcham
- Farzin Suleimani, 31, of Selsey Road, Birmingham
- Aref Yazdan Parast, 31, of Worton Road, Isleworth
They have all been remanded in police custody and are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, June 23.
The eighth person arrested is the 39-year-old who remains in hospital and has been bailed.
Officers and paramedics swooped on Princes Gate, Knightsbridge, scrambling to detain suspects and treat the injured activists on Friday morning.
Witnesses told MailOnline on Friday how pro-Israeli protesters were chanting support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and calling for the Iranian regime to be toppled before violence erupted and two of the activists were attacked.
It comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, with Iran and Israel locked in a brutal conflict that has continued to escalate.
Dramatic pictures from the scene showed the protesters being treated by paramedics on stretchers and receiving oxygen, while the alleged attackers were seen being hauled away in handcuffs.
The Iranian Embassy became a focal point for protests in 2022 after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.
After the altercation, a spokesman for the Met Police said: ‘At 09:53hrs on Friday, June 20, officers responded to reports of an altercation in Princes Gate, SW1.
‘Six men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm – they remain in police custody.
‘Two men were treated for injuries at the scene and have been taken to hospital for further treatment by the London Ambulance Service.
‘Police have cordoned off the area while initial investigations take place.’
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 9.56am today (June 20) to reports of an assault in Princes Gate, SW7.
‘We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, paramedics in fast response cars and our Tactical Response Unit.
‘We treated two patients at the scene and took one to hospital and one to a major trauma centre.’
