Latest news with #CounterTerrorismPolice
Business Recorder
05-05-2025
- Business Recorder
Seven Iranians among eight arrested in UK counterterrorism probes
LONDON: British police on Sunday said eight people, including seven Iranian nationals, were arrested in two separate counterterrorism probes. In one operation, five men — four of them Iranian — were arrested on suspicion of 'preparation of a terrorist act', London's Metropolitan police said in a statdment. The arrests were carried out in London, Swindon and the Greater Manchester area on suspicion of 'terrorism offences'. The men, aged between 29 and 46, were detained by Counter Terrorism Police on Saturday in relation to 'a suspected plot to target a specific premises' — which was not named — and remain in custody. The four Iranian men were arrested under the Terrorism Act, while the fifth man, whose nationality was still being established, was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Interior minister Yvette Cooper said these were 'serious events' part of the UK's response to 'national security threats'. 'This is a fast-moving investigation and we are working closely with those at the affected site to keep them updated,' said Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism chief Dominic Murphy. '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,' he added. Meanwhile, three other men, all Iranian nationals, were arrested in London in a separate Counter Terrorism Police operation on Saturday. The Met police confirmed that the three London arrests 'are not connected to the arrest of five people yesterday'. The men, aged 39, 44 and 55, were arrested under the National Security Act — which gives law enforcement greater powers to disrupt 'state threats' including foreign interference and espionage. Cooper thanked the police in a statement early Sunday. 'These are serious events that demonstrate the ongoing requirement to adapt our response to national security threats,' Cooper told the PA news agency.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Seven Iranians among eight arrested in UK counterterrorism probes
British police on Sunday said eight people, including seven Iranian nationals, were arrested in two separate counterterrorism probes. In one operation, five men -- four of them Iranian -- were arrested on suspicion of "preparation of a terrorist act", London's Metropolitan police said in a statdment. The arrests were carried out in London, Swindon and the Greater Manchester area on suspicion of "terrorism offences". The men, aged between 29 and 46, were detained by Counter Terrorism Police on Saturday in relation to "a suspected plot to target a specific premises" -- which was not named -- and remain in custody. The four Iranian men were arrested under the Terrorism Act, while the fifth man, whose nationality was still being established, was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Interior minister Yvette Cooper said these were "serious events" part of the UK's response to "national security threats". "This is a fast-moving investigation and we are working closely with those at the affected site to keep them updated," said Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism chief Dominic Murphy. "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," he added. Meanwhile, three other men, all Iranian nationals, were arrested in London in a separate Counter Terrorism Police operation on Saturday. The Met police confirmed that the three London arrests "are not connected to the arrest of five people yesterday". The men, aged 39, 44 and 55, were arrested under the National Security Act -- which gives law enforcement greater powers to disrupt "state threats" including foreign interference and espionage. - 'Serious events' - Cooper thanked the police in a statement early Sunday. "These are serious events that demonstrate the ongoing requirement to adapt our response to national security threats," Cooper told the PA news agency. "The government continues to work with police and intelligence agencies to support all the action and security assessments that are needed to keep the country safe." The arrests come amid heightened concerns about Iranian involvement on UK soil. In March, Iran became the first country to be placed on an enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which aims to boost the UK's national security against covert foreign influences. The measures, due to come into place later this year, will mean that all persons working inside the UK for Iran, its intelligence services or the Revolutionary Guard would have to register or face jail. Last October, the head of Britain's MI5 domestic intelligence service revealed that since 2022 the UK had uncovered 20 Iran-backed plots posing "potentially lethal threats". bur-fec/rsc/aks/rmb
STV News
04-05-2025
- STV News
Eight arrested in two separate counter-terrorism investigations
Eight people have been arrested in two separate counter-terrorism investigations, police have said. Five men were arrested across England on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act after police uncovered a suspected plot to target a single premises. Four of the men arrested on Saturday were Iranian nationals and the nationality of the fifth is still being established, police said. Separately, the Met Police said three Iranian men were arrested in London as part of a different Counter Terrorism Policing investigation. In a statement on Sunday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper thanked the police and security services for their action to 'keep our country safe'. 'I want to thank the police and our security services for the action they have taken to keep our country safe,' she said. 'Protecting national security is the first duty of government and our police and security services have our strong support in their vital work. 'These are serious events that demonstrate the ongoing requirement to adapt our response to national security threats. 'The government continues to work with police and intelligence agencies to support all the action and security assessments that are needed to keep the country safe.' In the investigation where five people were arrested, four were detained under the Terrorism Act (TACT) 2006. The fifth man was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE). The pre-planned arrests included a 29-year-old man in the Swindon area; a 46-year-old man in west London; a 29-year-old man in the Stockport area; a 40-year-old man in the Rochdale area; a fifth man in the Manchester area. Counter Terrorism Police have been in contact with the site to make them aware of the suspected plot, and to provide relevant advice and support, the Met Police said in a statement. The site has not been identified for operational reasons, they added. Commander Dominic Murphy, who is head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: 'This is a fast-moving investigation and we are working closely with those at the affected site to keep them updated. 'The investigation is still in its early stages, and we are exploring various lines of inquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter. 'We understand the public may be concerned and as always, I would ask them to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us.' Officers are carrying out searches at a number of addresses in the Greater Manchester, London and Swindon areas in connection with the investigation. In a separate counter-terrorism operation, the Met Police confirmed three Iranian men were arrested on Saturday. Police said in a statement that Counter Terrorism Policing units had taken three men into custody in London. Two of the men, aged 39 and 44 respectively, were arrested at separate addresses in north-west London. A 55-year-old man was also apprehended at a third address, located in west London. The London trio were arrested and detained under section 27 of the National Security Act 2023 and remain in custody. Searches continue at the three addresses across London. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
France 24
04-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Seven Iranians among eight arrested in UK counterterrorism probes
In one operation, five men -- four of them Iranian -- were arrested on suspicion of "preparation of a terrorist act", London's Metropolitan police said in a statdment. The arrests were carried out in London, Swindon and the Greater Manchester area on suspicion of "terrorism offences". The men, aged between 29 and 46, were detained by Counter Terrorism Police on Saturday in relation to "a suspected plot to target a specific premises" -- which was not named -- and remain in custody. The four Iranian men were arrested under the Terrorism Act, while the fifth man, whose nationality was still being established, was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Interior minister Yvette Cooper said these were "serious events" part of the UK's response to "national security threats". "This is a fast-moving investigation and we are working closely with those at the affected site to keep them updated," said Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism chief Dominic Murphy. "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," he added. Meanwhile, three other men, all Iranian nationals, were arrested in London in a separate Counter Terrorism Police operation on Saturday. The Met police confirmed that the three London arrests "are not connected to the arrest of five people yesterday". The men, aged 39, 44 and 55, were arrested under the National Security Act -- which gives law enforcement greater powers to disrupt "state threats" including foreign interference and espionage. 'Serious events' Cooper thanked the police in a statement early Sunday. "These are serious events that demonstrate the ongoing requirement to adapt our response to national security threats," Cooper told the PA news agency. "The government continues to work with police and intelligence agencies to support all the action and security assessments that are needed to keep the country safe." The arrests come amid heightened concerns about Iranian involvement on UK soil. In March, Iran became the first country to be placed on an enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which aims to boost the UK's national security against covert foreign influences. The measures, due to come into place later this year, will mean that all persons working inside the UK for Iran, its intelligence services or the Revolutionary Guard would have to register or face jail. Last October, the head of Britain's MI5 domestic intelligence service revealed that since 2022 the UK had uncovered 20 Iran-backed plots posing "potentially lethal threats".
Int'l Business Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Seven Iranians Among Eight Arrested In UK Counterterrorism Probes
British police on Sunday said eight people, including seven Iranian nationals, were arrested in two separate counterterrorism probes. In one operation, five men -- four of them Iranian -- were arrested on suspicion of "preparation of a terrorist act", London's Metropolitan police said in a statdment. The arrests were carried out in London, Swindon and the Greater Manchester area on suspicion of "terrorism offences". The men, aged between 29 and 46, were detained by Counter Terrorism Police on Saturday in relation to "a suspected plot to target a specific premises" -- which was not named -- and remain in custody. The four Iranian men were arrested under the Terrorism Act, while the fifth man, whose nationality was still being established, was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Interior minister Yvette Cooper said these were "serious events" part of the UK's response to "national security threats". "This is a fast-moving investigation and we are working closely with those at the affected site to keep them updated," said Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism chief Dominic Murphy. "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," he added. Meanwhile, three other men, all Iranian nationals, were arrested in London in a separate Counter Terrorism Police operation on Saturday. The Met police confirmed that the three London arrests "are not connected to the arrest of five people yesterday". The men, aged 39, 44 and 55, were arrested under the National Security Act -- which gives law enforcement greater powers to disrupt "state threats" including foreign interference and espionage. Cooper thanked the police in a statement early Sunday. "These are serious events that demonstrate the ongoing requirement to adapt our response to national security threats," Cooper told the PA news agency. "The government continues to work with police and intelligence agencies to support all the action and security assessments that are needed to keep the country safe." The arrests come amid heightened concerns about Iranian involvement on UK soil. In March, Iran became the first country to be placed on an enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which aims to boost the UK's national security against covert foreign influences. The measures, due to come into place later this year, will mean that all persons working inside the UK for Iran, its intelligence services or the Revolutionary Guard would have to register or face jail. Last October, the head of Britain's MI5 domestic intelligence service revealed that since 2022 the UK had uncovered 20 Iran-backed plots posing "potentially lethal threats".
