A man from Liverpool has been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service relating to Iran, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London announced.
Arrest and Charges
Officers from CTP London arrested Vahid Aberi, 39, on Wednesday, July 15, in the Birmingham area on suspicion of an offence under section 3 of the National Security Act 2023 – assisting a foreign intelligence service. The country to which the investigation refers is Iran.
Aberi was taken to a West Midlands police station, and officers carried out searches at addresses in the Birmingham and Liverpool areas. He has now been charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service contrary to section 3(1) and (9) of the National Security Act 2023.
Court Appearance
Aberi was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today, Friday, July 17.
Police Statement
Head of CTP London, Commander Helen Flanagan, said: "We have seen a significant and sustained increase in the tempo of our work in national security investigations in recent years. This case is yet another example of where we’ve intervened to disrupt suspected activity linked to foreign intelligence services."
She added: "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."
