Two men guilty of spying for Iran over plan to target journalists and lawyer

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the senior national co-ordinator for Counter-Terrorism Policing, said it was the first time ChatGPT case search history had been presented in a state threat case.

She added: “It’s something we’re beginning to see more of as AI tools become more widely available and people become more aware of them.”

It was clear from the evidence at the trial that at times Sepahvand felt he was being mistreated by his Iranian handlers, who had not paid him.

Evans said: “This is a trend we see in these types of cases where people get involved in work on behalf of foreign states and they’re often promised money and lots of other things but they rarely receive what they’ve been offered.”

Sepahvand had claimed he participated in the spying out of fear of the consequences of refusing but the prosecution described this as “entirely bogus”.

In voice notes sent to an Iranian contact, he said he had been promised that a conviction for theft in Iran would be “sorted out” – which prosecutors said was part of his motivation for conducting the surveillance.

Sepahvand also asked for £150,000 in exchange for “finishing off” a target, stressing that he would “do it”.

Frank Ferguson, of the Crown Prosecution Service’s counter-terrorism division, said the two men had been promised rewards for sending intelligence back to contacts in Iran.

“Sepahvand himself was willing to go beyond surveillance to commit serious violence against their targets,” he said.

“Thankfully, the defendants were stopped before any attack could take place.

“Cases like this show Iranian intelligence’s willingness to use proxies to target the regime’s critics abroad.”

A spokesperson for Iran International said the verdicts would not “make the lives of our journalists any safer so long as the Islamic Republic of Iran continues its campaign of death threats and violence against them”.

A statement continued: “Kambiz Hosseini and Mojtaba Pourmohsen and others remain under threat.

“We are thankful for the continued vigilance of the British police in protecting not only us but the many other Iranians targeted by Iran.

“Iran will no doubt continue its use of agents and proxies abroad in its campaign to terrorise its critics.”

Sepahvand and Manesh will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on 17 December.