UK proscribes Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards as terror organisation
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UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she will leave no stone unturned to keep the country safe. Photograph: (AFP)
The ministers also announced plans to proscribe the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right (IMCR), which has been linked to attacks on Jews in the UK, and the Russian Federation Volunteer Corps (GRU), the international branch of Russian military intelligence.
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced on Monday that the United Kingdom will designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation. The move, under the National Security (State Threats) Act, which came into force last week, will make it a criminal offence to support the IRGC in Britain and comes after years of political debate over whether the powerful Iranian military force should be banned.
“I have rapidly designated three groups so those working for them will be tracked down and put behind bars,” said Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. “I will leave no stone unturned to keep our country safe.”
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The UK Home Office said ministers had concluded that there was sufficient evidence to believe the IRGC had engaged in activities that were inimical to the UK’s national security.
Ministers also announced plans to proscribe the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right (IMCR), which has been linked to attacks on Jews in the UK, and the Russian Federation Volunteer Corps (GRU), the international branch of Russian military intelligence.
The government said the decision was taken after a series of alleged Iranian threats on British soil, including an alleged plot to assassinate two journalists working for Iran International television and cyberattacks targeting British interests.
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The Home Office said the Home Secretary had “carefully considered all the evidence” before arriving at the decision.
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“Having carefully considered all the evidence, the home secretary has concluded that there is sufficient basis to reasonably believe that each of these bodies is engaged in foreign power threat activity, and that each designation is necessary to protect the safety and interests of the United Kingdom,” the department said in a statement.
Meanwhile, hundreds of extra police have been recruited to enhance security in areas of the UK that have been hit by anti-Semitic attacks backed by Iran.
Arson attacks on synagogues and a community ambulance service have taken place in north London, while two men were stabbed in the street.
The UK Home Office has announced extra funding for London’s Metropolitan Police to ensure the force deploys 300 additional officers in predominately Jewish areas of the capital.
The UK had raised its terrorism threat level from substantial to severe.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the funding will deliver a “step-change in protection and policing so Jewish communities can live and celebrate their faith free from fear”.
There will also be an extra £59 million spent on counter-terrorism police.
