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| Police continue to question Iranian men over alleged terror plot | Police continue to question Iranian men over alleged terror plot |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Video shows counter-terrorism officers making an arrest | Video shows counter-terrorism officers making an arrest |
| Five men are continuing to be questioned by police over an alleged terror plot in the UK. | Five men are continuing to be questioned by police over an alleged terror plot in the UK. |
| The men, including four Iranian nationals, are being held over an alleged plan to "target a specific premises", the Metropolitan Police said. | The men, including four Iranian nationals, are being held over an alleged plan to "target a specific premises", the Metropolitan Police said. |
| They were arrested in Swindon, west London, Stockport, Rochdale and Manchester. | They were arrested in Swindon, west London, Stockport, Rochdale and Manchester. |
| Three other Iranian men were arrested in London on Saturday as part of a separate counter terrorism investigation. | Three other Iranian men were arrested in London on Saturday as part of a separate counter terrorism investigation. |
| As part of an investigation into an alleged terror plot police arrested the men - two aged 29, a 40-year-old and another aged 46 - in the early hours of Saturday morning. The fifth person's nationality and age has not been confirmed. | As part of an investigation into an alleged terror plot police arrested the men - two aged 29, a 40-year-old and another aged 46 - in the early hours of Saturday morning. The fifth person's nationality and age has not been confirmed. |
| Footage showed armed officers taking a man from a house in Rochdale, while another man was dragged through the street in Swindon with plastic bags over his arms. | Footage showed armed officers taking a man from a house in Rochdale, while another man was dragged through the street in Swindon with plastic bags over his arms. |
| One eyewitness told the BBC that six men entered a cafe the suspect was in and ordered coffee and donuts before they followed him out and "jumped on him". | |
| The Met said the "affected site" allegedly targeted in the plot had been made aware and was being supported by police | |
| Video shows terror suspect being dragged in Swindon | Video shows terror suspect being dragged in Swindon |
| Separately, the Met said three Iranian men - aged 39, 44 and 55 - were arrested under section 27 the National Security Act at addresses in north-west and west London, while searches continued. | Separately, the Met said three Iranian men - aged 39, 44 and 55 - were arrested under section 27 the National Security Act at addresses in north-west and west London, while searches continued. |
| When the man left, they followed him out and "jumped on" him in the street "just near a Costa coffee", they said. | |
| The act covers offences deemed a threat to national security. Section 27 grants police the power to arrest someone without a warrant if they are reasonably suspected of being involved in "foreign power threat activity". | The act covers offences deemed a threat to national security. Section 27 grants police the power to arrest someone without a warrant if they are reasonably suspected of being involved in "foreign power threat activity". |
| Cdr Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, stressed that they were not linking the two investigations. | Cdr Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, stressed that they were not linking the two investigations. |
| He said the operations were "certainly significant and it is unusual for us to conduct this scale of activity". | He said the operations were "certainly significant and it is unusual for us to conduct this scale of activity". |
| Last year MI5 said it had responded to 20 Iran-backed plots since January 2022. | Last year MI5 said it had responded to 20 Iran-backed plots since January 2022. |
| Director general Sir Ken McCallum, said these presented "potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents". | Director general Sir Ken McCallum, said these presented "potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents". |
| On Sunday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the two operations "reflect some of the biggest counter state threat and counter terrorism operations that we have seen in recent years". | |
| There have previously been calls to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - a major military and political force with close ties to Iran's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - as a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK. | |
| This would allow tighter control of UK borders and "severe penalties" for those who might be supporting the group", Nick Aldworth, a former national co-ordinator for counter terrorism policing, said. | |
| "It becomes quite challenging when organisations that are proscribed are effectively part of the state," he told the BBC Radio 4's Today Programme. | |
| He added it was "unclear" how much support the group had in the UK. |