British police arrest several Iranian men in suspected attack on land – Country
LONDON – The Metropolitan Police Force said on Sunday that British counterterrorism officials arrested several Iranians on suspicion of attacking unspecified targets.
Police said five men between the ages of 29 and 46 were detained in various parts of England in England based on suspected preparations for “terrorist acts”.
Four are Iranian citizens, and the fifth nationality is still being established.
Police said the target of the attack was a location that was not named “for operational reasons.” It said the venues were “advised and supported.”
All suspects were questioned at the police station but were not charged.
Police say they are searching for several properties in London, Manchester area in northwest England and Swindon in western England.
Forensic officials in blue work clothes shot at a house in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, where one of the men was detained.
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The three-person counterterrorism arrests took place in the Greater Manchester area, one of which was in London, in Swindon.
Rochdale resident Kyle Warren told Sky News he “heard a huge sensation” and saw “20 or 30 police officers with guns” drag a man out of a nearby house.
“We've seen a man pulling out from behind, basically dragging to the side entrance, throwing into all the bushes and then handcuffed,” he said.
Dominic Murphy, head of the Counter-Terrorism Command, said police are still working to build motivations “and determine if there may be any further risks to the public.”
In addition, three other Iranian men, 39, 44 and 55, were arrested in London on suspicion of national security crimes, as part of an unrelated investigation, police said.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the arrest was a “serious incident that demonstrates our ongoing demand for our response to national security threats.
“The government continues to work with police and intelligence agencies to support all operations and security assessments needed to ensure the security of the country,” she said.
Police have not yet determined whether the alleged conspiracy is related to Iran, but the UK's domestic intelligence department has warned that attackers linked to Tehran are increasingly threatened.
In October, MI5's domestic security agency head Ken McCallum said his agents and police had addressed 20 “potentially lethal” plots of land that support Iran since 2022, most targeting Iranians who oppose the country's authorities.
He said at that time, if conflicts in the Middle East intensified, “the risk of Iranian state aggression may be expanded by the British state aggression.”
In March 2024, Pouria Zeraati, a host of Persian TV criticizing the Iranian government, was stabbed in a leg outside her home in London. Two men were later arrested in Romania and charged with assault.
The UK's official terrorist threat level is in “substantiality”, which is the middle of the five-point scale, which means that attacks may occur.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
