Latest news with #NewScotlandYard
Toronto Sun
12-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
Ringleader in Russian spy ring gets more than 10 years in U.K. prison
Published May 12, 2025 • 1 minute read A sign stands in front of the New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police, in London, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. Photo by Kin Cheung / AP LONDON — A Bulgarian man who was the ringleader of a Russian spy ring in the U.K. was sentenced Monday to more than 10 years in prison. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Orlin Roussev, 47, headed up a group of five fellow Bulgarians who prosecutors said put lives in danger as they carried out operations in the U.K., Germany Austria, Spain and Montenegro between 2020 and 2023 on behalf of Russian intelligence. The group targeted reporters, diplomats and Ukrainian troops and discussed kidnapping or killing Kremlin opponents. Cmdr. Dominic Murphy, counterterrorism chief at London's Metropolitan Police, said the group conducted 'industrial-scale espionage on behalf of Russia.' Roussev was the first of the five to be sentenced in the Central Criminal Court. The other sentencings were to follow Monday afternoon. Roussev, along with his lieutenant Biser Dzhambazov, 44, pleaded guilty to espionage charges and having false identity documents. Ivan Stoyanov, 33, a mixed martial arts fighter, admitted to spying for Russia. Katrin Ivanova, 33, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, were convicted by a jury in March of conspiring to spy for an enemy state. Toronto Maple Leafs Editorial Cartoons World Ontario Sunshine Girls
Toronto Sun
04-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
UK police arrest several Iranian men over alleged attack plot
Published May 04, 2025 • 2 minute read A sign stands in front of the New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police, in London, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. Photo by Kin Cheung / AP LONDON — British counterterrorism officers arrested several Iranian men over an alleged plot to attack an unspecified target in London, the Metropolitan Police force said Sunday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Police said five men aged between 29 and 46 were detained on Saturday in various parts of England on suspicion of preparing 'a terrorist act.' Four are Iranian citizens and the nationality of the fifth is still being established. All the suspects are being questioned at police stations and have not been charged. Police said they are searching several properties in London, Manchester in northwest England and Swindon in western England. Police said the attack plot targeted a single location that was not being named 'for operational reasons.' Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the force's Counter Terrorism Command, said police are still working to establish a motive 'as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public.' Separately, three other Iranian men, aged 39, 44 and 55, were arrested in London on suspicion of a national security offense as part of an unrelated investigation, police said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the arrests were '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,' she said. Police have not determined whether the alleged plot is connected to Iran, but Britain's domestic intelligence service has warned of a growing threat from attackers linked to Tehran. In October, the head of the MI5 domestic security service, Ken McCallum, said his agents and police have tackled 20 'potentially lethal' plots backed by Iran since 2022, most aimed at Iranians in the U.K. who oppose the country's authorities. He said at the time there was there is the risk 'of an increase in, or broadening of, Iranian state aggression in the U.K.' if conflicts in the Middle East deepened. In March 2024, Pouria Zeraati, a presenter at a Farsi-language television station critical of the Iranian government, was stabbed in the leg outside his home in London. Two men were later arrested in Romania and charged over the attack. The U.K.'s official terror threat level stands at 'substantial,' the middle of a five-point scale, meaning an attack is likely. Sports Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Sports
Time of India
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
UK police arrest several Iranian men over alleged attack plot
A sign stands in front of the New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police, in London (Image: AP) LONDON: British counterterrorism officers arrested several Iranian men over an alleged plot to attack an unspecified target in London, the Metropolitan Police force said Sunday. Police said five men aged between 29 and 46 were detained on Saturday in various parts of England on suspicion of preparing "a terrorist act." Four are Iranian citizens and the nationality of the fifth is still being established. All the suspects are being questioned at police stations and have not been charged. Police said they are searching several properties in London, Manchester in northwest England and Swindon in western England. Police said the attack plot targeted a single location that was not being named "for operational reasons." Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the force's Counter Terrorism Command, said police are still working to establish a motive "as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public." Separately, three other Iranian men, aged 39, 44 and 55, were arrested in London on suspicion of a national security offense as part of an unrelated investigation, police said. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the arrests were "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," she said. Police have not determined whether the alleged plot is connected to Iran, but Britain's domestic intelligence service has warned of a growing threat from attackers linked to Tehran. In October, the head of the MI5 domestic security service, Ken McCallum, said his agents and police have tackled 20 "potentially lethal" plots backed by Iran since 2022, most aimed at Iranians in the UK who oppose the country's authorities. He said at the time there was there is the risk "of an increase in, or broadening of, Iranian state aggression in the UK" if conflicts in the Middle East deepened. In March 2024, Pouria Zeraati, a presenter at a Farsi-language television station critical of the Iranian government, was stabbed in the leg outside his home in London. Two men were later arrested in Romania and charged over the attack. The UK's official terror threat level stands at "substantial," the middle of a five-point scale, meaning an attack is likely.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Yahoo
Data helps Met convict 100 men who targeted women
A data-driven approach to tackling violence against women and girls has led to more than 100 of the "most dangerous offenders" in London being convicted, according to the Metropolitan Police. The force said its V100 programme, which uses data to identify and target men who pose the highest risk to women, had enabled officers to focus efforts on reducing the threat posed by perpetrators and to protect potential victims. Some 126 people had been charged with 574 offences, including rape, grievous bodily harm and attempted murder, the Met said. The force said this was achieved by using victim reports of crime alongside other data to rank suspects in priority order. The scheme is part of the force's A New Met for London plan, aimed at delivering "more trust, less crime, and high standards". Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ben Russell, the Met's V100 lead, said: "Reaching 100 convictions is an important milestone, but our work is far from over. "This is about more than just statistics or crime reports. It's about ensuring that every woman in London feels seen, heard, and protected." The Met said significant convictions included Jason Phinn, 36, of Bournville, Birmingham, who was jailed for the manslaughter of his mother at their home in Brixton in November 2023. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison at Croydon Crown Court. Louis Collins, 30, of no fixed address, was handed a life sentence at Kingston Crown Court for rape, kidnap and 22 other related offences in July 2024. He will serve a minimum term of 11 years and five months for attacking eight women in the space of four days in London last summer, the force said. I was among the journalists invited to a monthly briefing at New Scotland Yard, where officers with different specialisms came together to discuss suspects flagged under the scheme, and how to tackle them. The scheme works by using existing police data from victim reports of crime alongside the Cambridge Crime Harm Index - a tool which helps police measure the seriousness of harm to victims. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ben Russell said each suspect's risk was calculated by looking at what sentence they would expect to be given for each allegation, if they were convicted as a first time offender, and then adding up the total. The suspects are then ranked in priority order and updated each month. This approach used by officers has been dubbed as "Achilles' heel" tactics, Det Ch Supt Angela Craggs said, as it involved considering allegations related to other crimes. "We're thinking about drug dealing, we might be thinking about, you know, robbery offences. Any other offences that this perpetrator is linked to in order to take them off the streets," she explained. In the meeting, officers also discussed how best to support victims, some of whom may be manipulated or threatened, in order to protect them and to encourage them to support a prosecution. The Met's update on how many offenders are being convicted under the V100 programme comes exactly two years on from the publication of the damning review by Baroness Casey, which found the Met was institutionally misogynist and called for more to be done to protect women and girls. The report highlighted cases of victim blaming, evidence from rape investigations being lost in broken down fridges, and said that specialist public protection teams, who tackle abuse against women and children, had been "deprioritised". The Met says it's boosted those teams with an extra 565 officers and staff and invested in training for frontline officers. However, new figures from the Met Police, presented to the London Assembly, showed reported sexual offences increased by 7.4% in the 12 months up to the end of January 2025, compared with the previous 12 months. Last year, the Met said 34,000 suspects were reported for more than one crime against women and girls. "It is a significant number," Russell agreed, saying the whole justice system needed to do more. "But what we are realising through our work is that the number of men who are committing violence of this significance and this seriousness is relatively small. "So by focusing on the most serious harmful offenders, we think we can have a disproportionate impact on keeping people safe." Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said: "Every woman has a fundamental right to feel safe. One hundred offenders convicted by the Met Police means 100 more dangerous men off our streets - a powerful achievement for the Met's V100 initiative. "Delivering a consistent national approach in the use of these data-driven tools to identify and pursue the most dangerous perpetrators is a core part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. We are cracking on alongside our policing partners to achieve this." The Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said there was more work to do. "I remain committed to doing everything I can to support the Met's action, investing in vital services that support victims and important intervention work that stops perpetrators from reoffending," he said. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Violence against women and girls rises in London Met Police using data to arrest men who attack women Met to target 100 most dangerous men using data
Telegraph
15-03-2025
- Telegraph
Beat burglars by planting shrubs, Met Police tells homeowners
The Metropolitan Police is urging homeowners to plant shrubs in their gardens to deter thieves. The Met – which has the third-worst record for tackling burglary in Britain – has been giving out leaflets about the best 17 varieties of plant to 'create a natural defence against burglary'. 'Planting particular shrubs (in their mature or semi-mature form) along garden walls and fences can make it harder for burglars to access your property or put them off completely. To maximise this effect, plant them close to each other,' the leaflet said. The leaflet, which contains links to the Met's website, said some of the most off-putting shrub varieties include firethorn, barberry and hawthorn – all of which are dense and have thorns. The Met leaflet also tells homeowners to secure their homes by keeping hedges and fences over 1.8m high and 'prickly' plants. 'Add [a] lightweight trellis to gates and fences and plant some prickly plants to make it harder for burglars to climb over,' it said. Other tips from the force include installing a gravel driveway to make it harder for thieves to break in undetected and putting in motion-detector security lights. It also warns garden tools should not be left outside because they can be used by thieves during break-ins. The Met's 'to-do' list for households seeking to deter burglars also includes more familiar suggestions such as using secure locks and alarm systems. The Met has repeatedly been criticised over low burglary detection rates. In 2022, the force committed to attending all burglaries in London but the bulk of them remain unsolved. There were 57,611 burglaries reported to the Met last year but only 5.53 per cent of cases ended up with people being charged, according to the force's online crime dashboard. Home Office figures showed that 82 per cent of burglaries went unsolved by the Met in the 2022-23 financial year, making them the third-worst performing force in the country after South Yorkshire (84 per cent) and Hampshire (83 per cent). In November, the force closed a bike theft case within 24 hours even though it was stolen from outside New Scotland Yard and had AirTag tracking devices to monitor its movements and location. Dr Lawrence Newport, a legal academic, reported the theft to the Metropolitan Police after the Carrera bicycle was stolen from a bike rack on Victoria Embankment, which is overlooked by the heavily guarded offices of New Scotland Yard and Parliament. In a 101 call to police, he told the operator that, based on the AirTag data, he suspected it had been taken at around 1am on Nov 24 before it ended up at a residential block in Westminster that evening. However, he received a text from police the next day saying: 'At this time the case will be closed pending evidence coming to light that will support an investigation.' Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said the Met 'needs to concentrate on the basics of catching criminals and less on gardening advice'. 'The police's most basic function is catching criminals and a 5 per cent charge rate is just not good enough,' he told The Times newspaper. 'I want to see police using more effective methods such as facial recognition to catch criminals and put them where they belong, in prison. Gardening advice is not going to help do that.' A Met spokesman said information, such as the leaflets, helps police target the most prolific offenders, which had resulted in a 10 per cent reduction in the number of burglaries reported in London last year. 'We will continue to help prevent people from becoming victims while simultaneously cracking down on burglars and organised crime groups,' the spokesman said.
