A suspected terrorist from Swindon has been released from police custody.
The 29-year-old Iranian national was arrested by Met Police officers in the town centre on Saturday 3 May – and searches of a property in Manchester Road were carried out.
The man was believed to have links to an alleged terror plot targeting journalists working in London.
Four of the five men arrested – including the Swindon suspect – were questioned for nearly two weeks before being released on Saturday (17 May). The investigation remains ongoing.
The men — Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 56 — have been charged. The fifth man had already been released on bail.
All three are accused of engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service between 14 August 2024 and 16 February 2025, in breach of Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, the men carried out surveillance and reconnaissance targeting journalists associated with Iran International.
“Examination of their phones revealed that from the 14th August 2024 they had been engaged in carrying out surveillance with a view to locating journalists associated with Iran International,” read the statement by the Crown Prosecution Service.
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.”
He continued: “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.”
Searches have been carried out at various properties in Swindon, London, Greater Manchester and High Wycombe.
Police say they are continuing to work closely with the potential target of the alleged plot in the UK – understood to be news organisation Iran International.
