RFE
17 May 2025, 15:05 GMT+10
British authorities have charged three Iranian nationals with "engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service" in connection with what prosecutors described as a plan to "commit serious violence against a person in the United Kingdom."
Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, were charged over "surveillance, reconnaissance, and open-source research" they conducted between August 2024 and February 2025, Frank Ferguson, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service's Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division,said in a statementon May 17.
The three men, all London residents, werearrested on May 3.The statement's description of additional charges suggested that Sepahvand is suspected of intending to attack the prospective victim, who was not identified, while Manesh and Khani are suspected as accomplices.
Police said the men were arrested under a section of Britain's 2023 National Security Act that grants police the power to arrest someone without a warrant if they are reasonably suspected of being involved in "foreign power threat activity," the BBC reported.
It cited police as saying the foreign intelligence service in question was Iran's.
The head of Britain's domestic spy service said last year that since 2022, authorities had responded to 20 Iran-linked plots that potentially posed lethal threats to the public.
Get a daily dose of Bristol Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Bristol Star.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has made public a visa decision that would usually be kept private. It did this to send...
LONDON, U.K.: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a vote in Parliament this week to move ahead with changes to the country's welfare...
New Delhi [India], July 9 (ANI): The race to qualify for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 is down to four teams with just two more...
The delay adds yet another twist to Trump's original 90 deals in 90 days promise -- so far yielding only two vague trade agreements...
Los Angeles [US], July 9 (ANI): 'Bridgerton' actress Simone Ashley has joined the cast of 'The Devil Wears Prada 2,' according to Deadline....
The European Union is edging closer to finally adopting its latest sanctions package, the 18th since the full-scale Russian invasion...
MOSCOW, Russia: Just hours after his sudden dismissal by President Vladimir Putin, Russia's former transport minister, Roman Starovoit,...
DHARAMSHALA, India: The Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6, celebrated by thousands of followers in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala,...
ZAGREB, Croatia: A massive concert by popular Croatian singer Marko Perković, known by his stage name Thompson, has drawn widespread...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elon Musk's entry into the political arena is drawing pushback from top U.S. officials and investors, as his decision...
CULVER CITY, California: TikTok is preparing to roll out a separate version of its app for U.S. users, as efforts to secure a sale...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump claimed he was unaware that the term shylock is regarded as antisemitic when he used it in...
