LONDON: British police on Sunday said eight people, including seven Iranian nationals, were arrested in two separate counter-terrorism probes.

In one operation, five men — four of them Iranian — were arrested on suspicion of “preparation of a terrorist act”, London’s Metropolitan police said in a statement. The arrests were carried out in London, Swindon and the Greater Manchester area on suspicion of “terrorism offences”.

The men, aged between 29 and 46, were detained by Counter Terrorism Police on Saturday in relation to “a suspected plot to target a specific premises” — which was not named — and remain in custody.

The four Iranian men were arrested under the Terrorism Act, while the fifth man, whose nationality was still being established, was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.

Interior minister Yvette Cooper said these were “serious events” part of the UK’s response to “national security threats”.

Iran was the first country to be placed on an enhanced tier of UK’s plan against covert foreign influences

“This is a fast-moving investigation and we are working closely with those at the affected site to keep them updated,” said Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism chief Dominic Murphy.

“The investigation is still in its early stages and we are exploring various lines of enquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter,” he added.

Meanwhile, three other men, all Iranian nationals, were arrested in London in a separate Counter Terrorism Police operation on Saturday.

The Met police confirmed that the three London arrests “are not connected to the arrest of five people yesterday”.

The men, aged 39, 44 and 55, were arrested under the National Security Act — which gives law enforcement greater powers to disrupt “state threats” including foreign interference and espionage.

‘Serious events’

Cooper thanked the police in a statement early on Sunday. “These are serious events that demonstrate the ongoing requirement to adapt our response to national security threats,” Cooper told the PA news agency.

“The government continues to work with police and intelligence agencies to support all the action and security assessments that are needed to keep the country safe.” The arrests come amid heightened concerns about Iranian involvement on UK soil.

In March, Iran became the first country to be placed on an enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which aims to boost the UK’s national security against covert foreign influences.

The measures, due to come into place later this year, will mean that all persons working inside the UK for Iran, its intelligence services or the Revolutionary Guard would have to register or face jail.

Last October, the head of Britain’s MI5 domestic intelligence service revealed that since 2022 the UK had uncovered 20 Iran-backed plots posing “potentially lethal threats”.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2025