Country on high alert since MI5 warning last year about ‘potentially lethal’ Iran-backed activities.
Published On 4 May 2025
The United Kingdom has arrested eight men, including seven Iranian nationals, as part of two investigations regarding alleged threats to national security.
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrests on Sunday, saying five men, including four of the Iranian nationals, were detained on suspicion of “preparation of a terrorist act” while the other three are being held under national security legislation introduced in 2023 to counter the actions of hostile states.
In the first operation, which took place on Saturday, counterterrorism police arrested four Iranians along with the other individual, whose nationality was still being established, in London, Swindon and the Greater Manchester area in relation to “a suspected plot to target a specific premises”.
The five men were aged 29 to 46. The four Iranians were arrested under the Terrorism Act while the fifth man was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.
“This is a fast-moving investigation,” Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Dominic Murphy said, adding that police were 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”.
In the second operation, which took place on the same day, counterterrorism police arrested three Iranian nationals aged 39, 44