Iran tried to kill or kidnap British residents at least 10 times this year: UK spy chief

By Karim El-Bar

LONDON (AA) - Iran tried to kill or kidnap British nationals or residents at least 10 times this year, the head of the UK’s domestic intelligence agency MI5 said Wednesday.

In a speech at MI5’s headquarters, Ken McCallum said Iran’s “aggressive intelligence services” were targeting individuals in the UK it deemed a threat.

He said Iran was the “state actor which most frequently crosses into terrorism.”

“Iran projects threat to the UK directly, through its aggressive intelligence services. At its sharpest this includes ambitions to kidnap or even kill British or UK-based individuals perceived as enemies of the regime,” said McCallum. “We have seen at least 10 such potential threats since January alone.”

McCallum said Iranian intelligence services were a “sophisticated adversary” who were sometimes willing to take “reckless” actions.

“At times they will take that action in Western countries, at times they will seek to lure people to other parts of the world, including Iran itself,” he said.

Regarding the ongoing unrest in Iran, McCallum said the “wave of protests … is asking fundamental questions of the totalitarian regime.”

Iran has been gripped by widespread protests since September after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died in custody after being detained by the country’s morality police.

“This could signal profound change, but the trajectory is uncertain,” said McCallum.