Iran seeks to ‘kidnap or kill’ British opponents, MI5 warns

Britain’s domestic intelligence chief warned on Wednesday of “direct threats” from Iran, warning that the Islamic Republic is seeking to “kidnap or kill” Britons it views as “enemies of the regime”.

Tehran is issuing “direct threats against the UK via aggressive intelligence”, Ken McCallum indicated, adding that “at least ten potential threats” had been detected this year. “At its peak, this includes ambitions to kidnap or even kill British or British-based individuals perceived as enemies of the regime,” the intelligence chief added during a speech at the MI5 headquarters, which commissioned a building along the River Thames in London.

MI5’s warnings come as the British government last week accused Iran of issuing death threats against British journalists. The London-based Persian-language television channel – Iran International – reported that two of its journalists working in Britain had received death threats from the Revolutionary Guards (Tehran’s ideological army).
Iran International has been covering the protests that have taken place in Iran since the death in mid-September of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurd who died three days after her arrest in Tehran for violating the strict dress code, which requires women to to wear veils in public.. The protest has been bloodily suppressed and dozens of journalists have been arrested.

On Friday, British police also announced that they had launched a “protection plan” for an Iranian wrestling champion living in Scotland, Melika Balali, who she said also received threats from Iranian authorities.