In March 2024, Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati was stabbed three times in the leg outside his Wimbledon home in south London, an attack later attributed to the Iranian regime. He survived, but this incident is one of dozens of violent acts linked to foreign states on British soil in recent years. Russia, China, India, Saudi Arabia, and Iran have all been accused of targeting critics and dissidents living in the UK, with incidents including physical assaults, attempted kidnap, stabbings, and an acid attack.
Rising State-Threat Investigations
MI5 state-threat investigations have jumped by 48% in a year, and there have been more than 20 threat-to-life cases relating to Iran since 2022. In May 2025, arson attacks on properties linked to Prime Minister Keir Starmer were connected to Russia. On Thursday, two men were jailed for surveilling Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners in the UK on behalf of China through a 'shadow policing' operation. Parliamentarians and lawyers now describe the UK as a 'hunting ground for authoritarian regimes.'
Diaspora Communities Report Threats
Diaspora communities from Hong Kong, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and India have reported threats, sexualised harassment, economic coercion, state-linked legal cases, and violent attacks. They describe sparse and inadequate responses from UK authorities, impacting their health and safety. Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC said in Zeraati's trial, 'Whereas historically the UK has been less targeted than other places in the world, that position has changed in recent times.'
Criticism of UK Response
Ben Keith, a barrister specialising in cross-border cases, says, 'The UK government is not prepared to stand up to anybody.' Clive Stafford Smith, an American lawyer helping victims, claims, 'The FBI have advised victims not to travel to the UK … because the British government does not take meaningful action when dictators go hunting their dissidents.' Lord Alton, chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, notes that the UK lacks a clear strategy despite the 2023 National Security Act, and there is no accurate data on the number of attacks.
Case Study: Roshaan Khattak
Roshaan Khattak, an exiled Pakistani activist and former Cambridge researcher, says he received an Instagram threat in November 2025 stating, 'we had warned you to stop criticising us on international platforms' and 'don’t forget even Cambridge and UK is not safe.' The message included details of his and his father's Pakistan mobile numbers and passport details. Khattak says police responses have been inadequate: 'Either they mock you or they’re like, who are you? … They don’t want to name Pakistan an offender.' A Pakistan high commission spokesperson denied any involvement in transnational repression.
Iran as Major Perpetrator
Iran is considered the biggest perpetrator, with multiple activists, journalists, and students reporting threats and surveillance. Nahid Bahmani of the Kurdish opposition party Komala says police foiled a terrorist plot against her husband last year, forcing them to move repeatedly. 'It creates a deep psychological insecurity. You never feel that you belong anywhere,' she says. One Iranian activist in London describes living in constant anxiety: 'At night, any noise sends me straight to check my CCTV.'
Political Calls for Accountability
Conservative MP Alicia Kearns accuses the Labour government of 'rewarding one of the states most responsible' by granting China a new embassy in London despite its repression of Hongkongers. She states, 'Hostile dictatorships are increasingly seeking to impose their own repression on British shores. There is no acceptable level of transnational repression.' A Home Office spokesperson said such acts 'are considered a threat to our national security, and will never be tolerated,' adding that they work with police and intelligence services to mitigate risks.
