Two people have been arrested by counter-terrorism officers as part of an investigation into suspected National Security Act offences linked to Iran.
The Metropolitan Police said a 60-year-old man was arrested at an address in north-west London on Wednesday, 9 September. A 42-year-old woman was arrested separately at an address in north London.
Police have not disclosed exactly where in north-west London the arrest took place.
Both were arrested on suspicion of an offence under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, relating to assisting a foreign intelligence service.
The Met confirmed that the country linked to the investigation is Iran.
Previous searches carried out in June
The arrests follow searches previously carried out by Counter Terrorism Policing London on 24 June at residential addresses in north and north-west London.
Officers said enquiries continued following those searches and eventually led to the arrests this week.
A third residential property in north-west London was also searched on Wednesday following the arrests. Both suspects were taken to a London police station before being released on bail with strict conditions until a date in late October.
Police stressed that the investigation is not connected to incidents and attacks earlier this year targeting venues and buildings linked to Jewish and Iranian communities across London.
It is also not linked to any activity or events surrounding the upcoming High Holy Days period.
Police say there is no imminent threat
Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London said: “We know that news of these arrests will come as a concern to some members of the public, but I want to stress that we do not believe there to be any imminent threat to the wider public in connection with this matter.
“We’ve seen a marked increase in the tempo of our work linked to national security and state threats over the past year and this investigation is a continuation of that. As we’ve shown here, if we suspect any activity could threaten the safety of the UK or the public, then we will not hesitate to take action.
“I would also like to remind the public that the overall terrorism threat level is at severe, so we continue to ask for everyone’s support through being vigilant, and if you see or hear anything that doesn’t look right, then please, trust your instincts, and report it to us.”
Anyone with information about suspicious activity can contact police on 0800 789 321 or report it through the ACT website. In an emergency, call 999.
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