Four Iranian men arrested on suspicion of preparing terror attack released

Four Iranian men who were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terror attack have been released from custody.

The four men – a 29-year-old arrested in Swindon, Wiltshire, a 46-year-old arrested in west London, a 29-year-old arrested in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and a 40-year-old arrested in Rochdale – were detained under the Terrorism Act.

After obtaining “various warrants of further detention”, all four were released from custody on Saturday, police said.

A fifth man, a 24-year-old arrested in Manchester, was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and previously released on bail, with conditions, to a date in May.

As part of the investigation, officers continue to carry out searches at a number of addresses in the Greater Manchester, London, Swindon and High Wycombe areas, police said.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “We made these arrests due to concerns about a suspected plot to target a specific premises.

“Since those arrests, detectives have been working to assess all the evidence we’ve gathered and to question the men.

“They are now being released from custody but our investigation remains active and is ongoing.

“We are working very closely with the premises we identified as the suspected target of the alleged plot, and we continue to provide them with support.

“This has been, and continues to be, a highly complex investigation, and we will not hesitate to take further action if we believe there is any imminent threat to the public.

“I would like to thank the public for their support and understanding – particularly in the areas and communities across the UK who have felt the direct impact of our activity.

“I’d like to ask people to remain vigilant and contact us if anything doesn’t look or feel right. Information from the public is crucial to our work.”