Sepahvand, from St John’s Wood, was charged with “surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research” with the intention of “committing serious violence against a person in the UK”.
Manesh, from Kensal Rise, and Noori, from Ealing, were both charged with the same offence but with the intention that violence “would be committed by others”.
Both Sepahvand and Noori spoke through a Farsi interpreter at the brief court hearing to confirm their names, dates of birth and addresses.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, said that the Government would strengthen national security powers in the wake of the charges, saying that the case raised “very serious wider issues”.
Strengthened powers
Cooper said: “The police have confirmed that the foreign state to which these charges relate is Iran, and Iran must be held to account for its actions.
“We must also strengthen our powers to protect our national security as we will not tolerate growing state threats on our soil.
“As part of that process, we will publish next week the results of Jonathan Hall, KC’s review into the application of our counter-terrorism framework to modern-day state threats.”
She thanked the police and security services for their dedication to “protecting our national security”.
She added: “The charges that have been laid against these three individuals must now take their course through the criminal justice system and nothing must be done to prejudice the outcome of those proceedings.”
District Judge Annabel Pilling was told that police attended the home addresses of the three on May 3.
The CPS prosecutor, who did not give his name on security grounds, told the court that Sepahvand first arrived in the UK in 2016 concealed in a lorry. He sought asylum on the grounds that he feared for his safety if he returned to Iran.
Manesh arrived in the UK by boat in December 2019 and applied for refugee status on religious grounds.
Noori had his first recorded contact with the authorities in the UK in September 2022, at which point he applied for asylum.
All three were remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey next month.
Both Sepahvand and Noori’s defence counsels indicated their client would be denying the charges.
Judge Pilling told the defendants: “There will be a trial in due course before a judge and jury if you plead not guilty. The next stage will be a preliminary hearing before the specialist judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb on June 6.”
Dominic Murphy, the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism commander, described the charges against the three as “extremely serious”.
He added: “Since the men were arrested two weeks ago, detectives have been working around the clock and we have worked closely with colleagues in the Crown Prosecution Service to reach this point.
“Now that these men have been charged I would urge people not to speculate about this case, so that the criminal justice process can run its course.”
On May 9, a fourth man, aged 31, was also arrested as part of the investigation but he was released without charge on Thursday.
Separate investigation
Scotland Yard said today that four other Iranians arrested in a separate counter-terrorism policing investigation had been released from custody.
The men had been arrested on May 3 at addresses in London, Swindon and Greater Manchester on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. A fifth man, also an Iranian national, was previously released on bail to a later date in May.
Officers continue to carry out searches at a number of addresses in the Greater Manchester, London, Swindon and High Wycombe areas.
Murphy said: “We made these arrests due to concerns about a suspected plot to target a specific premises. Since those arrests, detectives have been working to assess all the evidence we’ve gathered and to question the men.
“They are now being released from custody but our investigation remains active and is ongoing.
“We are working very closely with the premises we identified as the suspected target of the alleged plot, and we continue to provide them with support. This has been, and continues to be, a highly complex investigation, and we will not hesitate to take further action if we believe there is any imminent threat to the public.”
Murphy added: “I would like to thank the public for their support and understanding – particularly in the areas and communities across the UK who have felt the direct impact of our activity. I’d like to ask people to remain vigilant and contact us if anything doesn’t look or feel right. Information from the public is crucial to our work.”
