A Liverpool man has been charged with spying for Iran after an investigation by counter-terror police.
Vahid Aberi, 39, was arrested on Wednesday in the Birmingham area on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service.
“The country to which the investigation relates is Iran,” Counter Terrorism Policing London said in a statement.
Aberi was taken to a West Midlands police station and officers searched addresses in Birmingham and Liverpool.
He has now been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service, contrary to section 3(1) and (9) of the National Security Act 2023.
“We have seen a significant and sustained increase in the tempo of our work in national security investigations in recent years,” Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said.
“This case is yet another example of where we’ve intervened to disrupt suspected activity linked to foreign intelligence services.
“While we can’t comment in detail around the allegations now that a man has been charged, I do want to reassure the public that we have not identified any direct threat to them nor any threat towards a community or individual in connection with this investigation.”
Aberi was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
