Revealed: Iran's plan to kidnap and kill UK and US citizens
The United States and more than a dozen of its allies, including the United Kingdom, accused Tehran of conducting a campaign to murder and abduct dissidents, journalists and officials around the world.
'We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America in clear violation of our sovereignty,' a joint statement read.
'These services are increasingly collaborating with international criminal organisations to target journalists, dissidents, Jewish citizens, and current and former officials in Europe and North America. This is unacceptable.'
Earlier this month, Britain's spy agencies warned that Iran had targeted 'prominent Jewish individuals' in at least 15 attempts to kill or kidnap people in the UK.
In May, a suspected Iranian terror attack in Birmingham hours away from being launched was foiled by counter-terror police. Police were deployed to Rochdale, Swindon, west London, Stockport and Manchester in response.
Five men, including four Iranian nationals, were arrested at locations across England on Saturday in what the Home Secretary described as one of the biggest counter-terror operations in recent years.
In the United States, two purported mobsters were convicted of a plot to assassinate Masih Alinejad, the Iranian American journalist, at her home in New York City in a murder-for-hire scheme financed by Tehran.
Prosecutors said Iranian intelligence officials first plotted in 2020 and 2021 to kidnap her in the US and move her to Iran to silence her criticism.
When that failed, Iran offered $500,000 for a July 2022 killing of Alinejad after efforts to harass, smear and intimidate her failed.
In 2011, the US authorities foiled an Iranian bid to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington.
The attacks amount to 'violations of our sovereignty,' the countries said.
'We are committed to working together to prevent these actions from happening and we call on the Iranian authorities to immediately put an end to such illegal activities in our respective territories.'
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