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Five men, including four Iranian nationals, were arrested in England over a suspected imminent terror attack.
Three more Iranian men were arrested in London to prevent them from fleeing or destroying evidence.
There are calls to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps amid increased warnings of Iranian-backed plots.
A suspected Iranian terror attack was hours away from being launched on British soil, the Daily Telegraph understands.
Five men, including four Iranian nationals, were arrested at locations across England on Saturday in what Britain’s Home Secretary described as one of the biggest counter-terror operations in recent years.
It is understood that authorities feared the attack on a “specific premises” was imminent.
Counter-terror police arrested a further three Iranian men in London as part of a separate operation, fearing they would leave the UK or destroy critical evidence against them after the other raids.
Police forensic officers search a house in Rochdale, England. Photo / Getty Images
They were arrested under powers granted by the National Security Act, which allows officers to make arrests if they reasonably suspect individuals of being involved in “foreign power threat activity”.
Speculation mounted on Sunday night that the target may have been a synagogue or another target linked to the Jewish community.
On Sunday, the Metropolitan Police said they were working to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public.
In a statement on Sunday night, Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, said: “These were two major operations that reflect some of the biggest counter-state threats and counter-terrorism operations that we have seen in recent years.”
Asked about possible links to the Iranian state, she said: “These are major operations that have taken place and the ongoing investigation is immensely important, and of course it involves Iranian nationals in both investigations and we are supporting the police and the security agencies in the investigations that they are taking and the security assessments that they are doing.”
Dramatic footage showed armed officers at one raid on a property in Rochdale.
Neighbours described men with masks and guns leading a shirtless man outside before telling him to “get on the floor”.
On Sunday night, there were renewed calls for Labour to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Despite having pledged in opposition to ban the organisation, Labour has yet to do so.
The Telegraph understands that Foreign Office officials have previously opposed the move because it would prevent the UK from maintaining its backchannel to Iran, which is also used by the United States.
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said: “The IRGC should have been proscribed years ago, without a shadow of a doubt. Friends of mine who live in the Middle East are astonished we haven’t done it.”
On Sunday, Luke Akehurst, the Labour MP for North Durham, said: “This adds to the urgency for the IRGC to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation. Labour called for the proscription of the IRGC when we were in opposition. I urge ministers to act on banning this dangerous Iranian organisation now.”
A Home Office spokesman said they would not speculate on proscription of the IRGC in light of the latest terror threat.
Heightened tensions between Iran and the West
It comes amid increased warnings about Iranian-backed plots in the UK.
Last year, the director general of MI5, Ken McCallum, said his organisation and police had responded to 20 Iran-backed plots since January 2022.
In March 2024, Pouria Zeraati, a journalist for London-based Iranian outfit Iran International, was stabbed as he approached his car.
Two Romanian nationals have since been charged in relation to the attack, following a review of evidence provided by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
At the scene of the Rochdale raid, neighbour Amy Openshaw said there was “lots of screaming” as officers burst into the property and her children came running inside.
She said: “The children were out in the garden and they came running in to me saying there’s men with helmets, masks and guns outside,” she said.
“I have come out and I got told to go back inside. We went upstairs. And I just heard a massive bang. Either a flash bang or them blowing the door off.”
Another resident said he saw “officers carrying guns” as he returned to his home on Saturday, with one telling him to “get back” into his house.
Saturday’s arrests took place amid heightened tensions between Iran and the West.
Last year, Sweden’s security agency warned Iran may have been involved in an attack on the Israeli embassies in Stockholm and Copenhagen, Denmark.
On Sunday, Iranian-backed Houthi militia attacked Israel’s main international airport with what they claimed was a hypersonic missile that left a huge crater in the ground and injured eight people.
Last month, British jets bombed the Houthis in Yemen for the first time since Donald Trump’s re-election to the White House.
It comes amid negotiations between the United States and Iran over a nuclear deal.
