Two men arrested and detained in Romania linked to stabbing of journalist in Wimbledon

Two men wanted in connection with an investigation into the stabbing of a journalist in Queensmere Road, Wimbledon on 29 March have been arrested and detained by Romanian authorities.

The investigation into the incident has been ongoing since March, led by detectives from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command. The arrests were made in Romania by Romanian authorities on Wednesday, 4 December, and have come about after the Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges against the two Romanian nationals.

Acting Commander Helen Flanagan, from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said: “We have been investigating this incident and gathering as much evidence as possible to reach the point where the CPS were able to authorise charges. This work has led to the arrest and detention of two men in Romania and I’d like to thank our Romanian counterparts for their cooperation on this matter.

“We now await the extradition process to progress so that the men can face prosecution here in the UK. In the meantime we won’t be commenting further on the investigation and would urge others not to speculate about the case, given criminal proceedings are now pending.”

Nandito Badea, 19 and George Stana, 23 – both Romanian nationals - were arrested in Romania on 4 December 2024. The CPS have authorised charges against both of wounding and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

We continue to work with colleagues from the CPS, National Crime Agency and Romanian authorities as extradition proceedings progress.