Two men have been charged on suspicion of spying for Iran as part of a Scotland Yard investigation into the alleged surveillance of London's Jewish community.
Alireza Farasati, a 22-year-old Iranian, and Iranian national Nematollah Shahsavani, 40, were arrested and detained on March 6.
They were both charged with engaging in contact that is likely to assist a foreign intelligence service following incidents between July 9, 2025, and August 15, 2025.
The nation in which the charges relate to is Iran
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Mr Farasati and Mr Shahsavani are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on March 19.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for CTP said: “These are extremely serious charges under the National Security Act, which have come about following what has been a very complex investigation.
"Since the men were arrested two weeks ago, detectives have been working around the clock to gather and assess the evidence, and we have liaised closely with colleagues in the CPS to reach this point.
“We fully recognise that the public – and in particular the Jewish community – will be concerned but I hope this investigation reassures them that we will not hesitate to take action if we identify there may be a threat to their safety, and will be relentless in our pursuit of those who may be responsible.
“Counter Terrorism Policing work closely with front line officers across the country to keep communities safe. Any concerns from the public can be shared with local policing teams or via national reporting tools such as www.gov.uk/ACT.”
Two men have been charged on suspicion of spying for Tehran as part of a Scotland Yard investigation into the alleged surveillance of London's Jewish community
| GETTYThe force confirmed that two other men who had been arrested as part of the investigation on March 6 have been released without charge.
Scotland Yard arrested the four men earlier this month on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service.
Along with Farasati and Shahsavani, a 55-year-old and a 52-year-old, both British-Iranians, had been taken into custody.
Six other men were arrested at the time, aged 29, 39, 42, 49 and two aged 20 in Harrow, the same location as Farasati, on suspicion of assisting an offender.
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Two other men have been released without charge after the raid earlier this month
|PA
Frank Ferguson, the CPS's counter-terrorism division chief, said: “We have worked closely with the Counter Terrorism Command at the Metropolitan Police as they have carried out their investigation.
“We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against these defendants are active and that they have the right to a fair trial.
“It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
At the time of the arrests, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood wrote on social media: “I want to thank the police and our security services for the action they’ve taken today to keep Britain safe from a potential threat.
“The Jewish community and the wider public will understandably be concerned by today’s arrests.
"We continue to monitor the situation closely and engage with those affected.
“I can reassure you that our police and security services are world-leading and won’t hesitate to take action to counter any threat to the UK.”
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