Eight arrested in two counter-terrorism operations involving Iranian nationals

Eight men have been arrested in two separate counter-terrorism police investigations that both involved Iranian nationals.

The Home Secretary said they reflect the biggest counter state threat and counter terrorism operations in recent years.

Five men, including four Iranian nationals, were arrested at locations across England on Saturday on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act after a suspected plot “to target a single premises” was uncovered, the Metropolitan Police said.

The force confirmed a further three Iranian men were arrested on Saturday as part of a separate operation.

Dominic Murphy, the head of counter terrorism at the Met Police, said one was a terrorist plot for an attack against a specific premises, while the other was a national security arrest.

He said the force made all the arrests they are seeking to – but several hundred officers are still working on the investigations, which are in their early stages.

Police are not treating the two cases as linked and Mr Murphy asked the public to “avoid speculation and some of the things that are being posted online”.

He told Sky News it was “unusual for us to conduct this scale of activity”.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “These were two major operations that reflect some of the biggest counter state threat and counter terrorism operations that we have seen in recent years.”

Asked about possible links to the Iranian state, she said: “These are major operations that have taken place and the ongoing investigation is immensely important, and of course it involves Iranian nationals in both investigations and we are supporting the police and the security agencies in the investigations that they are taking and the security assessments that they are doing.

“But this reflects the complexity of the kinds of challenges to our national security that we continue to face that we have set out and that is why protecting our national security including supporting these extremely professional operations and investigations remains our top priority.”

The first four Iranians were arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, and the fifth man, whose nationality is yet to be established, was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.

Those arrested include a 29-year-old man in the Swindon area, a 46-year-old man in west London, a 29-year-old man in the Stockport area, a 40-year-old man in the Rochdale area and a fifth man in the Manchester area. They remain in custody.

Another three Iranian men were arrested at three addresses in London as part of a separate counter-terrorism operation under section 27 of the National Security Act 2023.

Section 27 grants constables the power to arrest individuals without a warrant if they reasonably suspect them of being involved in “foreign power threat activity”.

Two men, aged 39 and 44, were arrested at separate addresses in north-west London and the third – a 55-year-old man – was held in west London. They remain in custody.

The head of MI5, Ken McCallum, said in October that authorities had stopped 20 state-backed plots hatched by Iran in the UK since 2022.

He warned of an “unprecedented pace and scale” of plots posing “potentially lethal threats” to British citizens and UK residents.

Iran was the first foreign power to be listed on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme (Firs), aimed at protecting the UK from malign foreign influence.

It means anyone who is directed by Iran to carry out activities in the UK must declare it or face five years in prison.

The scheme is due to come into force in July.

A resident of Rochdale said he saw counter terrorism officers raid a neighbouring property after his kids ran inside from playing in the garden.

“We heard a massive bang and saw loads of police everywhere with guns shouting at us to get inside the house,” Kyle Warren told Sky News.

“We went inside and went upstairs to see what was going on.

“Then we saw a man getting pulled out from the back, he basically got dragged down the side entry and thrown into all the bushes and then handcuffed.

“There must have been 20 to 30 police officers.”