British police arrested seven Iranians, the government calls the largest counter-terrorism operation.

London – The London Metropolitan Police said on Sunday that British counterterrorism police arrested four Iranians on suspicion of attacking unspecified targets, while three others threatened to national security. For years, the government has called the action the biggest “anti-state threat and counter-terrorism.”

Metropolitans are often known, and Metropolitan Metropolitans say five men aged 29 to 46 have been detained in various parts of England under the Terrorism Act, which is suspected of preparing for “terrorist acts”.

Four are Iranian citizens, and the fifth nationality is still being established. Police said the attack plot was targeted at a single location that was not named “for operational reasons.” They say people are getting “advice and support” in the homes in question.

All suspects were questioned at the police station and as of Monday morning, no prosecution was made. Police say they are searching for several properties in London, Manchester area in northwest England and Swindon in western England.

One of the men was seen in custody at a house in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Three of the arrests were conducted in the Greater Manchester area, one in London and the other in Swindon.

Rochdale resident Kyle Warren told the UK’s Sky News that he “heard a huge explosion” and saw “20 or 30 police officers with guns” drag a man out of his nearby house.

“We’ve seen a man pulling out from behind, basically dragging to the side entrance, throwing into all the bushes and then handcuffed,” he said.

Bystanders filmed and obtained videos from the CBS News partner network BBC News show armed police removed a man from a house in Rochdale, while another clip shows a man tied to a street in Swindon by his hands and tied plastic bags with his hands. The BBC said military personnel participated in the Rochdale arrest.

A witness in Swinton told the BBC they saw six people entering the cafe, ordering coffee and donuts, and then following a suspect in the inside out, they “jumped on him.”

Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Counter-Terrorism Command, said police are still working to build motivations “and determine if there are further risks to the public.”

In addition, three other Iranian men, 39, 44 and 55, were arrested in London on suspicion of national security crimes, as part of an unrelated investigation, police said.

“These are two major actions that reflect some of the biggest anti-state threats and counter-terrorism operations we have seen in recent years,” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said.

UK domestic intelligence service MI5 warns that there are increasing threats from attackers related to Tehran. “The ongoing investigation is very important” to determine whether the arrests are related to the Iranian state, Cooper said.

“This reflects the complexity of the national security challenges we continue to face,” Cooper said.

MI5 chief Ken McCallum said in October that his agents and police have addressed 20 “potentially lethal” plots of Iranian support since 2022, most targeting Iranians who oppose the country’s authorities.

He said at the time that if Britain had “increased or expanded the risk of Iranian state aggression” Conflicts in the Middle East deepen.

March 2024, Pouria ZeraatiThe host of Persian TV station criticizing the Iranian government is Thorn in his legs outside his London home. Two men were later arrested in Romania and charged with assault.

The UK’s official terrorist threat level is in “substantiality”, which is the middle of the five-point scale, which means an attack may be launched.