Counter-terror police in Britain have arrested seven Iranian nationals and one other man in connection with at least two separate terrorist plots.
The arrests all took place on Saturday. In the first batch of arrests, five men, four of whom are Iranian nationals, were arrested in Swindon, west London, Stockport, Rochdale and Manchester.
Arrests connected to an apparently separate plot were also conducted in London. Three Iranian nationals were arrested.
“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,” said Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
Searches of properties linked to the men are currently taking place.
The police have not disclosed any details of the plots, for operational reasons.
The British government claims to have responded to at least 20 Iranian plots since 2022. It imposed sanctions on a criminal network based in Sweden and linked to Iran that was targeting Israeli and Jewish interests in London.