Country on high alert since MI5 warning last year about \u2018potentially lethal\u2019 Iran-backed activities.<\/p>\n
The United Kingdom has arrested eight men, including seven Iranian nationals, as part of two investigations regarding alleged threats to national security.<\/p>\n
London\u2019s Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrests on Sunday, saying five men, including four of the Iranian nationals, were detained on suspicion of \u201cpreparation of a terrorist act\u201d while the other three are being held under national security<\/a> legislation introduced in 2023 to counter the actions of hostile states.<\/p>\n In the first operation, which took place on Saturday, counterterrorism police arrested four Iranians along with the other individual, whose nationality was still being established, in London, Swindon and the Greater Manchester area in relation to \u201ca suspected plot to target a specific premises\u201d.<\/p>\n The five men were aged 29 to 46. The four Iranians were arrested under the Terrorism Act while the fifth man was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a fast-moving investigation,\u201d Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Dominic Murphy said, adding that police were exploring \u201cvarious 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\u201d.<\/p>\n In the second operation, which took place on the same day, counterterrorism police arrested three Iranian nationals aged 39, 44 and 55 in London under the National Security Act, which gives law enforcement greater powers to disrupt \u201cstate threats\u201d, including foreign interference and espionage.<\/p>\n The Metropolitan Police said on Sunday that the three London arrests were \u201cnot connected to the arrest of five people yesterday\u201d.<\/p>\n Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the threats as \u201cserious\u201d, saying the government was working with police and intelligence agencies to \u201ckeep the country safe\u201d.<\/p>\n