Two arrested in London on suspicion of assisting Iran intelligence service

Two people have been arrested in London on suspicion of assisting Iran's intelligence service, in an investigation being handled under the National Security Act. The Metropolitan Police said a 60-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman were detained at two London locations on Wednesday. Officers also searched a third property in north-west London as part of the same inquiry.

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Police said the pair were arrested on suspicion of offences linked to assisting a foreign intelligence service. They have since been released on conditional bail until late October. The force said the investigation followed searches carried out at properties in north and north-west London in June, although it did not give further detail about what was seized or how the inquiry began.

Commander Helen Flanagan, who heads Counter Terrorism Policing London, said the arrests would be a concern for some members of the public. She said there was no belief that there was any imminent threat to the wider public in connection with the case. She also said the work formed part of a marked increase in national security and state-threat investigations over the past year.

The case is significant because it sits within the United Kingdom's wider response to suspected state threats and foreign intelligence activity. The National Security Act was introduced to give law enforcement stronger powers to deal with espionage, sabotage and related conduct. In that context, arrests on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service are treated as a serious national-security matter even when police say there is no immediate danger to the public.

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Police were also careful to separate this inquiry from earlier incidents involving Jewish and Iranian community sites in London. They said the arrests were not connected to attacks or incidents linked to those communities earlier this year. The force also said the case was not thought to be linked to events around the Jewish High Holy Days period, which had raised concern in some parts of the capital.

The Metropolitan Police said the UK's overall terrorism threat level remains severe, and it urged the public to stay vigilant. That warning reflects the broader security environment in which counter-terrorism officers are now working, with state-threat cases increasingly handled alongside other national-security investigations. The police response suggests the authorities are trying to reassure the public while also signalling that they are actively pursuing suspected foreign-linked activity.

The arrests also highlight the role of Counter Terrorism Policing London in cases that fall short of a public attack but still raise concerns about foreign intelligence operations. The investigation appears to be at an early stage, with the suspects now on bail and subject to strict conditions. Police have not said whether any charges are expected, and they have not identified the foreign intelligence service beyond the allegation that it is Iranian.

What remains unclear is the nature of the information allegedly involved, how the two suspects are said to have assisted the service, and whether further arrests or charges will follow. The next key date is the bail deadline in late October, when the case may move forward or be extended. For now, police say there is no imminent threat to the wider public, but the investigation remains active.

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