UK police detain 7 Iranians in 2 separate counterterrorism operations
British police have arrested eight men — including seven Iranian nationals — in two apparently unrelated counterterrorism operations, officers said on May 4, and authorities are attempting to determine if there are 'any further risks' to the public.
'These were two major operations that reflect some of the biggest counter-state threat and counterterrorism operations that we have seen in recent years,' Interior Secretary Yvette Cooper told reporters on May 4.
Specific details remained scarce regarding to two actions.
London's Metropolitan Police said five men, including four Iranians, were arrested on May 3 over a suspected plot to target a specific, undisclosed site. Authorities said they were still attempting to determine the nationality of the fifth suspect.
Separately, three Iranian nationals aged between 39 and 55 were arrested in London in a second operation that was not related to the first matter, the Metropolitan Police said.
The Iranian Embassy in London did not immediately comment on the arrests.
In the first incident, the men, aged 29 to 40, were detained in West London and in Swindon, Stockport, Rochdale, and Manchester, police said.
'The investigation relates to a suspected plot to target a specific premises. Officers have been in contact with the affected site to make them aware and provide relevant advice and support, but for operational reasons, we are not able to provide further information at this time,' a police statement said.
Commander Dominic Murphy, chief of London police's Counter Terrorism Command, said, 'We are exploring various lines of enquiry to…identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter.'
Authorities said the suspects are undergoing questioning and have not yet been formally charged.
In the second case, the three Iranian nationals were detained under the National Security Act, authorities said, without disclosing further details.
Searches were ongoing at their addresses, the police statement read.
The arrests come at a time of intensified tensions over suspected Tehran-supported activities in Britain.
Last year, Ken McCallum, the head of Britain's domestic spy service, said that since 2022, authorities had responded to 20 Iran-linked plots that potentially posed lethal threats to the public.
At the time, McCallum said hostile states, radicalized individuals, and the revitalized Islamic State (IS) terror group have combined to create 'the most complex and interconnected threat environment we've ever seen.'
In March 2024, Pouria Zeraati, a presenter at a Persian-language media organization in London critical of the Iranian government, was stabbed in the leg outside his home in London.
Two men were later arrested in Romania and charged over the attack on Zeraati, a TV host for the Iran International news network.
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