Pouria Zeraati stabbing suspects 'flew out of Heathrow within hours'

A journalist and broadcaster who was stabbed outside his south London home has been discharged from hospital.

The Met Police says three men suspected of being behind the attack on Pouria Zeraati travelled from the scene to Heathrow and left the country.

Police were called at 2.49am on Friday March 29 to an address in Wimbledon after Mr Zeraati was attacked and sustained a leg injury.

Detectives say it remains unclear why the victim was attacked and that officers are keeping an open mind as to any motivation behind this.

Because Mr Zeraati is a journalist for the Persian-language Iran International TV channel, whose journalists have previously been subjected to threats, the incident is being investigated by specialist officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.

The Met says detectives have established the victim was approached by two men in a residential street and attacked. The suspects fled the scene in a vehicle driven by a third man.

The car - a blue Mazda 3 - was abandoned in the New Malden area shortly after the attack. Searches in the area continue.

Police say after abandoning the vehicle, the suspects travelled directly to Heathrow Airport and left the UK within a few hours of the attack.

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Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “As a result of a very comprehensive investigation, at pace, we have identified three suspects who, we believe, left the UK within hours of the attack.

“Detectives trawled CCTV and made extensive enquiries resulting in the identification and recovery of a vehicle used by the suspects to leave the scene.

“We have established that after abandoning the vehicle, the suspects travelled to Heathrow Airport and have left the UK. We are now working with international partners to establish further details.

“I must reiterate that we are still at an 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. All lines of enquiry are being pursued and we are keeping an open mind on any potential motivation for the attack."

He continued: “I appreciate the concern this incident has caused, for local people and all those impacted. Additional patrols are continuing in the Wimbledon area and at other locations in London. If you have any concerns, please do speak with these officers

“I am grateful to everyone who has assisted officers with their enquiries or provided witness accounts to police.”

Anyone with information about this incident who has yet to speak with officers is asked to call police on 0800 789 321.