UK police arrest four on suspicion of spying for Iran

Four men were arrested in London on suspicion of spying for Iran and monitoring the movement of Jews living in the city, the Metropolitan Police said on Friday.

The counterterrorism police arrested the three individuals in the UK capital. One of the people was an Iranian national, while the other three were dual British-Iranians.

The force’s head of counterterrorism policing, Helen Flanagan, said the arrests were “part of a long-running investigation”.

“We understand the public may be concerned, in particular the Jewish community, and as always, I would ask them to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us,” she added.

The incident comes a day after the police arrested three men suspected of spying for China, including the husband of a lawmaker from Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ruling Labour Party.

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Reports from The Times and The Telegraph said that the husband of Joani Reid, a Labour lawmaker representing the East Kilbride area in Wales, was among those arrested. In response, Reid released a statement defending her husband.

Reid has since resigned from her post, saying that she will temporarily step down till an investigation into her husband’s wrongdoings is completed. Labour confirmed that she had been administratively suspended, a move that also suspends the party whip while an internal investigation is conducted.

UK police, the domestic intelligence service MI5 and members of parliament have long warned about a growing threat to Britain from Iran, which is currently locked in a war with the United States and Israel.

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In October, MI5 chief Ken McCallum said that British security agencies had tracked “more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots” in the previous year.

Meanwhile, last November, Britain’s domestic intelligence agency MI5 warned members of parliament that Chinese agents were attempting to recruit them through front companies or platforms such as LinkedIn. Beijing has strongly denied those claims.