'THREAT NOTICES'
Hostile state actors face terrorism-style sanctions after three Iranian spies charged
Three Iranian nationals - who arrived by small boats and a lorry - have been charged with spying
HOSTILE state actors will face terrorism-style sanctions in a crackdown announced after three Iranian nationals were charged with spying.
It would finally see foreign agents like Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps slapped with “threat notices” akin to proscription for extremist groups.
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Home Secretary Yvette Cooper yesterday accepted the recommendations of a security review by the government’s terrorism tsar Jonathan Hall.
It included powers for police to seize the passports of suspected foreign agents to stop them leaving the country.
And he proposed a criminal offence for anyone expressing support with a state-backed group who had been given one of the “name and shame” proscription notices.
Ms Cooper told MPs: “The Iranian regime poses an unacceptable threat to our domestic security which cannot continue.
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“But we need to go further in strengthening our powers to address national security threats.
“We will draw up new powers, modelled on counter-terrorism powers, in a series of areas to tackle those state threats.”
She said that MI5 state threats investigations have increased by nearly 50 per cent in a year.
Tehran’s ambassador was summoned by the Foreign Office yesterday following the charging of three Iranian nationals - who arrived by small boats and a lorry - with spying.
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Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, were remanded in custody charged with offences under the National Security Act.
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