A 39-year-old man has been charged with offences linked to Iran's intelligence service, British police have said, in the latest case to fall under the UK's national security laws amid growing
concerns over alleged Iranian activity.
Police said Vahid Aberi, from Liverpool, was arrested and taken to a police station in central England. Officers also carried out searches at addresses in Liverpool and Birmingham as part of the investigation.
The charges come as UK security officials continue to warn that Iran has increasingly relied on criminal proxies to conduct hostile operations on British soil. Authorities have reported several Iran-linked incidents in recent months, including antisemitic attacks following the recent conflict between the United States and Iran.
Earlier this week, the British government introduced new measures aimed at tackling state-backed proxy activity by banning support for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps under expanded national security powers.
Despite the charges, police said they had found no evidence of a direct threat to any individual or community. However, they warned that investigations involving suspected foreign intelligence operations have become more frequent.
"We have seen a significant and sustained increase in the tempo of our work in national security investigations in recent years," said Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing in London.
The case follows a diplomatic dispute between London and Tehran. Last week, the UK summoned Iran's most senior diplomat after two Romanian men were convicted over the stabbing of an Iranian journalist in London.
Iran's embassy in London has previously dismissed British accusations, describing them as "unfounded, politically motivated and hostile allegations."
Aberi is due to appear before a London court later on Friday. Photo by Dun.can, Wikimedia commons.
