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Man admits to attempted arson at building linked to anti Iranian regime TV station
Oisin McGuinness, 21, is due to stand trial alongside two others in January 2027
A man arrested in connection with an attempted firebombing attack on a West London property connected to Iranian anti-regime media has admitted to arson, with sentencing to take place at the conclusion of the overall trial.
Appearing via video link from HMP Wandsworth, Oisin McGuinness, 21, of Watford, admitted to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered, as well as dangerous driving and possession of cocaine.
As reported by Court News UK, McGuinness, alongside Nathan Dunn, 19, and a 16 year old boy are due to stand trial in January 2027 on the charge of arson with intent to endanger life. They were arrested after an incident which took place on 15 April outside the offices of Volant Media, the company which owns the anti-regime Iran International TV station.
The prosecutor told the court at the Old Bailey that security at the site had refused a request from two young men to enter in order to “see a friend”, because “the request seemed suspicious”. The two individuals subsequently went to the rear of the building, joined by a third person, and “produced what was determined to be a Molotov cocktail”, throwing it at the site – though it landed in the carpark and caused no damage to the actual building before it extinguished.
The court heard that after the incident, the three males, all wearing balaclavas, left the scene in a Peugeot. When a marked police vehicle requested the car to stop soon afterwards, a 75 mph chase on 30mph roads ensued, leading to the Peugeot crashing, with the three accused subsequently arrested in or near the vehicle. Jerry cans and wicking were then found in the boot of the car, the court heard.
The attack came during a period when a range of properties connected to the UK Jewish community – had been targeted by arson attempts. It is unknown whether this attack was linked; Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, an Iranian regime linked terror group which claimed responsibility for attacks on different Jewish community sites, is not known to have taken responsibility for the targeting of the Volant Media site.
In a separate case at Westminster Magistrates Court, a mature student has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act, with the court hearing that he had volunteered to join the Iranian Regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). As reported by Court News UK, the prosecutor told the court that Aberi, of Liverpool, was stopped by security at Stansted airport after he returned from Turkey, and that a phone search showed attempts to contact the IRGC. In June Aberi allegedly wrote to the Iranian consulate requesting to join the IRGC, with the court hearing that “the defendant completed a vetting exercise to act for the Iranian intelligence services in the UK”. He is understood to have delivered a package from London to Birmingham, and was arrested by the police later that day.
Aberi is due to appear before the Central Criminal court next month.
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