According to reports, two distinct UK counterterrorism police investigations have resulted in the arrest of eight persons, including seven Iranian nationals. A “pre-planned” inquiry into a scheme to “target a specific premises” led to the arrest of five people on Saturday at various places around England, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Four of them are Iranian nationals: two are 29 years old, one is 40, and the other is 46. The fifth’s age and nationality are still being determined, according to the police, as part of a separate investigation conducted by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command (CTC), three other Iranian males were detained in London on Saturday under national security laws. According to police, there was no connection between the two operations.
Thanking police and security agencies “for the action they have taken to keep our country safe” was the Home Secretary’s statement.
She continued:
“These are serious events that demonstrate the ongoing requirement to adapt our response to national security threats.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting also expressed gratitude to police and security forces, stating “every single day these people are saving lives” in an interview with the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. “It would be inappropriate for me to comment further,” he stated.
The CTC of the Metropolitan Police is in charge of overseeing investigations into state threats, espionage, and counterterrorism. Four of the five guys apprehended in the operation were held under the Terrorism Act. In accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence (Pace) Act, the fifth guy was taken into custody. All five were taken into custody on accusations of planning a terrorist attack.
The men are still being held by the police after being taken into prison in Swindon, Manchester, Rochdale, Stockport, and West London. “Specific premises” were the focus of a suspected conspiracy, according to the police. The Met also stated that police have been notified and are assisting the “affected site,” which it did not identify.
The Met’s CTC is leading this investigation, with assistance from Greater Manchester Police, Wiltshire Police, and counter-terrorism officers nationwide.
“The investigation remains in its initial phases, and we are examining different lines of enquiry to determine any possible motivations and to assess whether there might be additional public risks associated with this matter,”
said Cdr Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
“We comprehend the public may be concerned and as always, I would ask them to remain alert and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us.”
Three males, ages 39, 44, and 55, were detained while searches were conducted at three different properties in north-west and west London after being seized under the National Security Act, according to the Met. According to the police, the other five people’s arrests had nothing to do with this inquiry.
