UK arrests 8, including 7 Iranians, over suspected terror plots
Arrests made in Swindon, west London, Stockport, Rochdale and Manchester; police don’t give further details, citing operational considerations
Britain’s counter-terrorism police arrested eight men, including seven Iranian nationals, on suspicion of terrorism offenses, the Metropolitan Police said on Sunday. The arrests were made in two separate operations.
On Saturday, five men, four of whom are Iranian nationals, were detained on suspicion of terrorism offenses over a plot to target specific premises.
The arrests were made in Swindon, west London, Stockport, Rochdale, and Manchester.
“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,” said Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
The men aged between 29 and 46 were arrested on suspicion of “preparation of a terrorist act” and remain in custody, police said.
The nationality of one of the men is still being established, they said.
In a separate operation on the same day, three Iranian nationals were arrested in London as part of another counter-terrorism investigation, the Met said in a separate statement.
They are now in custody, with searches ongoing at the three addresses. The Met said the investigation was unrelated to the earlier arrests of the five men.
The police did not disclose details of the suspected plot, citing operational reasons.
The Embassy of Iran in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The arrests come amid heightened scrutiny of Iran-backed activities in the UK, with Britain saying it has responded to more than 20 such plots since 2022 and imposing sanctions on a Swedish-based criminal network linked to Iran for targeting Israeli and Jewish interests in Europe.
The Times of Israel Community.