The Metropolitan Police announced Sunday that British counterterrorism officers had arrested several Iranians over a alleged plot to target an unspecified London location.
Five men, aged 29 to 46, were arrested in different parts of England Saturday on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack.
Four of them are Iranians and the fifth’s nationality is yet to be determined.
Police said that three other Iranian men had been arrested in London as part of an investigation into a possible national security crime.
All suspects have been questioned by police and are not being charged yet.
The police said that they did not identify the suspected target “for operational purposes.”
Commander Dominic Murphy of the Counter Terrorism Command said that police were still trying to determine a motive, “as well to identify if there could be any other risk to the public.”
Home Secretary Yvette cooper said that the arrests are “serious incidents” which demonstrate the need to continue adapting our response to threats to national security.
She said, “The government is continuing to work with the police and intelligence agencies in order to support all actions and security assessments needed to keep this country safe.”
Ken McCallum said in October that his agents and the police had foiled 20 “potentially deadly” plots supported by Iran, since 2022. The majority of these plots were aimed at Iranians living in Britain who opposed the country’s government.