Britain’s counter-terrorism units have apprehended eight individuals — seven of whom are Iranian nationals — as part of two separate probes, the Metropolitan Police announced on Sunday.

On Saturday, five men aged between 29 and 40, including four Iranian nationals, were taken into custody on suspicion of terrorism-related offenses linked to an alleged plot targeting a specific location. The nationality of the fifth suspect has not yet been confirmed.

The arrests took place across Swindon, west London, Stockport, Rochdale, and Manchester. Authorities noted that they are working closely with the potentially affected site to offer support but withheld further details for operational reasons.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of London’s Counter Terrorism Command, stated, “We are pursuing multiple lines of investigation to understand possible motives and assess any further risks to the public.”

The Iranian Embassy in London has so far not responded to requests for comment.

These arrests come against the backdrop of heightened concern over Iran-linked activities in the UK. Last year, domestic intelligence chief Ken McCallum revealed that since 2022, authorities have disrupted around 20 Tehran-linked plots posing potential lethal threats to individuals in Britain.

Notably, in 2023, an Austrian national was convicted for conducting “hostile surveillance” on Iran International’s London headquarters — a media outlet critical of Tehran. The following year, a British-Iranian journalist affiliated with the outlet was stabbed in the capital.

In response to rising concerns, the UK government has placed Iran at the top level of its foreign influence registry, requiring disclosure of all efforts to exert political sway within the country.
Separately, in an unrelated counter-terrorism case, three more Iranian nationals, aged between 39 and 55, were arrested in London.