Two arrested as part of National Security Act investigation

Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing London have arrested two people as part of an investigation into suspected National Security Act (NSA) offences.

On Wednesday, 9 September a 42-year-old woman [A] was arrested at an address in north London and a 60-year-old man [B] was arrested at an address in north-west London. Both were arrested on suspicion of an offence under section 3 of the NSA, 2023 – assisting a foreign intelligence service. The country to which the investigation is linked is Iran.

The arrests were made following two searches that were previously carried out on 24 June at residential addresses in the north and north-west London areas. Enquiries have continued following those searches, leading to the above arrests. A third residential property in the north-west London area was also searched on 9 September, following the arrest of the man and woman.

Both suspects were taken to a London police station, and were subsequently released on bail with strict conditions until a date in late October.

The investigation is not connected to any of the incidents or attacks earlier this year that have been targeted at various venues and buildings linked to Jewish and Iranian communities across London, nor is it connected to any activity or events linked to the upcoming High Holy Days period.

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.”

You can call police on 0800 789 321 or report something online via www.gov.uk/ACT. In an emergency always dial 999.