British police have arrested eight men, including seven Iranian nationals, in the UK as part of two separate counter-terrorism investigations [3, 4, 5]. The Metropolitan Police announced the arrests, highlighting the ongoing efforts to address national security threats [4].
In one operation, executed on Saturday, May 3, 2025, five men were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act [3, 5, 8]. Four of the men are Iranian nationals, and the nationality of the fifth is still being confirmed [3, 5, 10, 13]. The arrests, which took place in London, Swindon, and Greater Manchester, relate to a suspected plot targeting a specific site [4, 6, 8]. The targeted site has been informed and is receiving support, but its location remains undisclosed for operational reasons [3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 13].
In a separate, unconnected investigation, three Iranian nationals were arrested in London on the same day under section 27 of the National Security Act 2023, which concerns suspected involvement in foreign power threat activity [4, 5, 11]. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, stated that the investigation is in its early stages, with authorities working to determine potential motives and any further risks to the public [3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13]. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper praised the police for their work [4, 10].
The arrests occur amid increased scrutiny of activities linked to Iran in the UK [6, 12].
This article is based on our author's analysis of materials taken from the following resources: www.standard.co.uk, www.politico.eu, www.itv.com, www.met.police.uk, and www.timesofisrael.com.