British prosecutors have charged three Iranians detained by London's counter-terrorism police in early May with breaching the National Security Act, Scotland Yard said in a statement.
As noted, the Crown Prosecution Service has approved charges against three Iranians living in the British capital: Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapour Kalekhali Hani Nouri, 55. “All three are accused of carrying out acts that could facilitate the activities of a foreign intelligence service, between August 14, 2024 and 16 February 2025, in breach of section 3 of the National Security Act 2023“, the police statement said.
They are also charged with carrying out surveillance and reconnaissance with intent to commit serious violence against a person in the United Kingdom, in breach of the same law.
The detainees are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on 17 May, which will decide on further remand measures. Another 31-year-old man, arrested on 9 May as part of the investigation, was released on 15 May without charge.
Police have urged people to refrain from spreading rumours about the detainees' motives. Earlier, British media reported that an attack on the Israeli embassy in London may be being planned.
On 20 December 2023, the updated National Security Act, passed in July of that year, came into force in the United Kingdom. It introduces expanded powers to help law enforcement take action against individuals suspected of espionage, sabotage and acts on behalf of foreign states against the United Kingdom and its interests. The UK Home Office justified the adoption of this law by the need to respond to the “threat of hostile activity from states that encroach on British democracy, economy and values“.