Counter-Terror Police Arrest Two in London Over Suspected Iran Intelligence Links
A 42-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man were arrested in London on suspicion of assisting Iran's foreign intelligence service, following searches of addresses in north and north-west London, the Metropolitan Police said.
Counter-terrorism officers in London have arrested a woman and a man on suspicion of assisting Iran's foreign intelligence service, in an investigation being treated as a matter of national security.
The Metropolitan Police said the pair — a 42-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man — were detained at addresses in the capital. The arrests followed searches carried out at properties in north and north-west London on 24 June.
Both suspects were held on suspicion of offences under the National Security Act, the legislation introduced to modernise Britain's espionage and foreign interference laws. Counter Terrorism Policing London is leading the investigation.
The operation is the latest in a series of cases in which UK authorities have examined suspected links between individuals in Britain and hostile state intelligence services. Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security has long been identified by Western governments as an active operator on European soil, with London viewed as a key hub for diaspora communities, diplomatic missions and academic institutions that can be targeted for intelligence-gathering or influence operations.
The National Security Act, which came into force in 2023, created new offences covering espionage, sabotage, foreign interference and assisting a foreign intelligence service. It was designed to replace outdated legislation that prosecutors had found difficult to apply to modern state-linked threats. Cases brought under the act can carry lengthy prison sentences.
Counter Terrorism Policing London operates as a specialist command within the Metropolitan Police, working alongside MI5 and other agencies on investigations involving state threats. The command has increasingly focused on what security officials describe as the growing challenge posed by hostile state actors, including Iran, Russia and China.
The arrests come amid heightened tensions between London and Tehran. The UK government has previously accused Iran of orchestrating plots on British soil, including alleged attempts to target dissidents and journalists critical of the Iranian government. Tehran has consistently denied involvement in such operations.
Iranian-linked activity in the UK has drawn scrutiny from parliament's intelligence and security committee, which has warned that the threat from hostile states is evolving and becoming more difficult to detect. The committee has called for greater resources for counter-intelligence work and closer coordination between police, security services and the private sector.
Details of the investigation remain limited, and police have not named the suspects or confirmed whether further arrests are expected. Under UK law, suspects can be held for questioning before a decision is made on whether to charge them. The Metropolitan Police has not indicated what specific evidence prompted the arrests or whether the case is connected to any wider network.
Britain's Iranian diaspora includes activists, former officials and members of minority groups who have been vocal critics of the government in Tehran. Security officials have warned that such individuals can be vulnerable to surveillance, intimidation or attempted recruitment by agents operating under diplomatic or commercial cover.
The case also reflects a broader European trend. Several countries, including Germany, France and the Netherlands, have expelled Iranian diplomats or opened investigations into suspected intelligence activities in recent years. The UK has taken similar steps, including sanctions against individuals and entities linked to Iran's security apparatus.
Counter-terrorism policing in the UK combines the investigation of terrorist plots with work on state threats, a remit that has expanded as the nature of the danger has shifted. The arrest of two people in London on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service underscores how the capital remains central to that effort.
The investigation is ongoing. Police have not said when the suspects will appear in court or whether charges are imminent.
