UK charges 3 Iranians with espionage – DW – 05/17/2025
Three men arrested earlier this month in what police called a "very complex and fast-moving investigation" were charged with spying for Iran. A fourth suspect was released without charge.
Three Iranian nationals have been charged with suspected espionage for Iran's intelligence services, UK police said on Saturday.
The three were all arrested on May 3 in London, with the Metropolitan police calling it "a very complex and fast-moving investigation."
They are due to appear in a London court later on Saturday, with the offences allegedly having taken place from August 2024 to February 2025.
A 'complex and fast-moving investigation'
The three suspects, all with addresses in London, were charged with "engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service between 14 August 2024 and 16 February 2025," the police said in a statement. "The foreign state to which the charges relate is Iran."
The arrests came amid heightened concerns about Iranian activities on UK soil.
"These are extremely serious charges under the National Security Act, which have come about following what has been a very complex and fast-moving investigation," said Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter-Terrorism command.
"Since the men were arrested two weeks ago, detectives have been working around the clock," he added.
There was a further charge for one suspect for "surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research... intending to commit acts, namely serious violence against a person in the United Kingdom."
Meanwhile, the other two were also charged with "surveillance and reconnaissance with the intention that acts, namely serious violence against a person in the United Kingdom, would be committed by others."
A fourth man was arrested on May 9 as part of the investigation, but has now been released without charge, the police added in their statement.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has previously said it was "disturbed" to learn Iranian citizens had been arrested by British authorities.
Edited by Sean Sinico
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