Dramatic arrest of Iranian ‘terrorist’: Undercover cops followed suspect into cafe and ordered coffee and donuts before ‘jumping’ on him as he left, witnesses reveal

Undercover police followed a suspected Iranian terrorist into a café ordering coffee and donuts before ‘jumping’ on the suspect.

Shocked witnesses told today how a team of six officers dressed casually in jeans and hoodies, sat in a café ordering donuts and drinks as they posed as ordinary customers.

Just moments later, they leapt on a 29-year-old Iranian man suspected of plotting a deadly terrorist attack in Britain.

Shocked bystanders captured the moment on camera that the undercover team swooped outside a Costa coffee shop in the middle of Swindon town centre on Saturday.

The officers were then seen dragging the suspect through the street towards a police van.

One eyewitness told the BBC that six men entered a café the suspect was in and sat opposite him, before ordering coffee and donuts.

When the man left, they followed him out and ‘jumped on’ him in the street ‘just near a Costa coffee’, they said.

Today counter terrorism officers are continuing to question the suspect, along with three other Iranian men arrested ‘on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act’ in co-ordinated raids on addresses in West London, Rochdale, Swindon, Manchester and Stockport on Saturday.

Undercover police officers swooped on a suspected Iranian terrorist in Swindon after posing as customers in a café and ordering coffees and donuts. Pictured are the officers in action 

It was part of a series of busts across England. Pictured are a group of Counter Terrorism Specialist Firearms Officers outside a home in Rochdale during another raid on Saturday 

Members of the SAS are suspected to have supported counter terrorism police during the  operation to storm the alleged terror cell in Rochdale over the weekend (pictured)

Sources close to the investigation described the alleged plot to target a UK premises as a ‘major attack’, which could have resulted in an imminent threat to life had it been successful.

Four Iranian men have been arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

A fifth man held in Cheadle Hulme, Manchester, whose nationality is yet to be established, was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.

During the raid in Cheadle Hulme police arrested a 14-year-old boy and two men after mistaking them for terrorists when they appeared to run away from the scene.

Police said the trio were stopped due to the ‘severity of the alleged offences’ and to ‘ensure public safety’, but they were later released after officers realised they were not linked to the alleged plot.

Zakakariya Alexander, 14, told the Manchester Evening News he panicked on seeing officers: ‘The car pulled up in front of me and I just saw guns and balaclavas.

‘I didn’t see their hats and they didn’t shout police. I thought it was a kidnapping – I just ran away.’

Children had been playing nearby when police swooped.

One local resident Sarah Cash said she saw the suspect sitting on the floor with his hands cuffed behind his back.

Another local described seeing the ‘man lying on the ground with cable ties on his wrists and ankles – and he had police with guns trained on him.’

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Officers are seen detaining one suspect while another officer covers the window of a building

Police were continuing to search a property connected to a 40-year-old suspect in Rochdale today following the raid on Saturday.

A broken window could be seen at the front of the property, which appears to have been divided into flats.

Neighbours said the house was a HMO with ‘at least three or four’ people living there.

One neighbour Raman Daniels, 36, said of the raid: ‘I heard a massive bang,’ he said.

‘At first, I though it was the kids jumping around on the bed.

‘But then my eldest son said it was the police.

‘I didn’t realise at the time why the house was being raided.

‘But now I know it was terror-related it’s a bit scary.

‘You just don’t think that something like this happens on your doorstep.’

He added: ‘There were at least three men living there, including the man who’s been arrested.

‘I don’t know their nationalities.

‘Sometimes, I’d see people coming and going at night so I thought they might work night shifts.’

About 27 miles north, in Rochdale, counter-terror cops are believed to have been joined by an elite strike force from the Special Air Service (SAS) to carry out a raid. 

It’s believed the officers in black uniforms are specialists from counter-terrorism police. They are thought to have been supported by members of the SAS

A police officer is pictured at the scene of a property in Rochdale which was raided by counter-terrorism police over the weekend 

It is believed members of the SAS’s specialist counter-terror team – dubbed the ‘special projects’ unit – may have supported armed officers in the raids. 

A former British spymaster added that given the alleged threat posed by the radicals – who were reportedly hours away from staging a massacre – it was ‘distinctly possible’ the British military played a supporting role in the busts. 

The Ministry of Defence will never comment about special forces operations. 

However, one former SAS operator told MailOnline it was likely a squad from the fearsome ‘Who Dares Wins’ regiment may have been involved in storming the Rochdale property alongside counter-terror cops. 

Soldiers would likely have been armed with explosives to blow open doors, with police supporting the operation, the expert said. 

Pictures from the scene show men wearing military helmets and body armour, carrying what are believed to be suppressed C8 rifles – which are used by the SAS. 

Other images show a number of officers wearing black and grey tactical kit. It’s believed these are highly trained Counter Terrorism Specialist Firearms Officers (CTSFOs).

Locals reportedly heard a series of loud bangs and men shouting before suspects were led out the property by counter-terrorism experts. 

‘There was a massive explosion and flame. It was officers using explosives to blow open the door,’ one local said.

Images showing the aftermath of the security operation also reveal a ground-floor window in the home that was raided had been smashed in. 

It’s thought this could have been done in order to allow officers to toss in explosive flash-bang grenades before storming the alleged terror den.

Yesterday, residents described how around 30 armed police supported by Special Forces burst into a terraced property in Rochdale on Saturday at around 7pm. 

A window in the property in Rochdale that was raided appears to have been smashed. Locals reportedly heard a series of loud explosions before the suspects were detained 

On Sunday, residents described how around 30 armed police supported by Special Forces burst into a terraced property in Rochdale on Saturday at around 7pm. Neighbours captured the moment on camera as a 40-year-old Iranian was dragged outside in just his underpants

Neighbours captured the moment on camera as a 40-year-old Iranian was dragged outside in just his underpants.

Amy Openshaw said: ‘The children were out in the garden and they came running in saying there’s men with helmets, masks and guns outside.

‘I heard a massive bang – either a flash bang or them blowing the door off.

‘I heard lots of screaming. Then the guy got taken out with hardly anything on. I could hear them saying, ‘Get on that floor’.

‘They had him on his knees.’

She said the suspect – who is said to have been staying in a house owned by a couple who live overseas– had rarely been seen before, adding: ‘He was quite quiet. I never saw any lights on or much activity going on.’

One neighbour in Billy’s Lane, which runs behind the school, said she heard ‘what sounded like men shouting’ from her back garden. ‘It sounded like they were having a fight,’ she said. ‘But then we saw police vans blocking off the road.’

Another local resident, Sarah Cash, said she had been walking along Heathbank Road from Nursery Road to collect her son from Heathbank Park some 100 metres away when she was stopped from continuing by tactical aid officers blocking off the road.

Colonel Philip Ingram, who served in British military intelligence, said troopers from the SAS and its sister unit the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) may have been used in the strike operation, with locations across the UK hit simultaneously.

Counter terrorism specialist firearms officers, thought to be dressed in black and grey tactical gear, are seen detaining a suspect in Rochdale over the weekend

‘It’s distinctly possible that – with this given a national level of threat and with hostile state links – there could be SRR troops from a surveillance perspective and they could have brought in special forces operatives as a backup team for counter terror police,’ Col Ingram claimed. 

‘There’s a strong possibility given the multifaceted nature of the threat that counter terror could have been working with UK special forces. 

Col Ingram said it was ‘rare’ for the military to be involved in supporting police operations but not unprecedented. 

Soldiers of the SRR have previously been linked to a police operation in London in 2005, which led to the shooting of innocent Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes. 

Mr de Menezes, a 27-year-old electrician, was followed and shot seven times in the head and once in the shoulder at Stockwell Underground station by two police marksman who mistook him for a suicide bomber. 

The shooting came just weeks after the July 7 suicide bombings in London. 

Although officially the SRR was not ‘deployed’ that day, its troops allegedly provided ‘technical support’ for Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorist operation, the Observer reported.

Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead by armed police in July 2005 after they mistook him for a terrorist. It was reported members of the SRR provided support to Scotland Yard following the July 7 bombings days earlier

Police were yesterday questioning four men ‘on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act’ after co-ordinated raids on addresses in west London, Rochdale, Swindon, Manchester and Stockport on Saturday evening. Pictured: Police in Rochdale following the counter terrorism raid 

Counter-terrorism police routinely train alongside members of the special forces, working on elite tactics to storm buildings. They are also kitted out with military-style weaponry. 

Sources would not be drawn on the target of the alleged plot but Iran has a history of targeting those they believe are threatening the regime including by kidnap and assassination.

Their targets have included Iran International, a dissident TV station based in London, which was the subject of surveillance and an attack on a presenter on repeated occasions in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

They have also targeted Jewish and Israeli interests and there was a plot in Germany to attack a Jewish school and synagogue in Essen in 2023.

Often the Iranians use criminal proxies to carry out the attacks, utilising Chechen and Turkish organised crime gangs.

Speaking last night of the latest security operation, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the arrests on Saturday ‘reflect some of the biggest counter-state threat and counter-terrorism operations we have seen in recent years’.

Sources said the alleged plot to target a UK premises was a ‘major attack’ that could have led to an imminent threat to life. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (pictured) said this evening that the arrests on Saturday ‘reflect some of the biggest counter-state threat and counter-terrorism operations we have seen in recent years’

Asked about possible links to the Iranian state, she said: ‘These are major operations and the ongoing investigation is immensely important, and, of course, it involves Iranian nationals in both investigations. But this reflects the complexity of the kinds of challenges to our national security we continue to face.’

The arrests came just days ahead of commemorative events in London to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, although sources stressed that they were not the intended target.

Police were last night questioning four men ‘on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act’ after co-ordinated raids on addresses in west London, Rochdale, Swindon, Manchester and Stockport on Saturday evening.

Hours earlier, counter-terrorism police had disrupted an alleged Iranian spy cell in London in a separate operation, arresting three men suspected of carrying out espionage activity for Iran. It was feared that news of police thwarting a suspected Iranian terror cell could spook others suspected of working for the enemy state in the UK.

Pictured: Police forensic officers search a house on May 04, 2025 in Rochdale, England, following a counter terrorism raid 

The suspected plot was hours away from taking place, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Sir Ken McCallum, head of MI5, recently warned that Iran was plotting attacks at ‘an unprecedented pace and scale’, and said there was a risk that Iranian state aggression could ‘broaden’ due to conflict in the Middle East.

The dual counter-terrorism operations will send a powerful message to Iran, which is said to have backed 20 plots posing a potentially lethal threat to journalists and dissidents living in Britain since January 2022.

In the past year, MI5 investigations into hostile-state threats have risen by almost 50 per cent following a surge in assassination, kidnap, arson and sabotage plots.

In October, Sir Ken warned: ‘We’ve seen plot after plot here.’ Iran uses criminal proxies, from international drug traffickers to ‘low-level crooks’, to carry out its ‘dirty work’ in the UK, he added.

Warning those who collaborate with hostile states, the spymaster said: ‘If you take money from Iran, Russia or any other state to carry out illegal acts in the UK you will bring the full weight of the national security apparatus down on you. It’s a choice you’ll regret.’

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter-Terrorism Command, said: ‘This is a fast-moving investigation and we are working closely with those at the affected site to keep them updated.

Commander Dominic Murphy (pictured), head of the Met’s Counter-Terrorism Command, said: ‘This is a fast-moving investigation… still in its early stages’

The scene was cordoned off following the raid, with officers standing guard outside the home

‘The investigation is still in its early stages, and we are exploring various lines of inquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter.’

He added: ‘We understand the public may be concerned and as always, I would ask them to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us.

‘We are working closely with local officers in the areas where we have made arrests today and I’d like to thank police colleagues around the country for their ongoing support.’

The earlier arrests in north-west and west London of three alleged spies aged 39, 44, and 55 was the first time Iranian suspects have been held in the UK under a new espionage law, the National Security Act, designed to target those working secretly in the UK for hostile states.

Those raids are said to be separate to the alleged terror plot against a specific premises, which is not being named for ‘operational reasons’.

The threat from Iran: a ruthless regime suspected of orchestrating terror attacks on UK soil  

By Andy Jehring

Iran has become a growing menace on the streets of Britain, with its agents suspected of orchestrating a spate of attacks on UK soil.

MI5 chief Ken McCallum disclosed last October that his operatives have tackled 20 ‘potentially lethal’ plots backed by Tehran since 2022 – mostly aimed at dissidents opposing the regime.

Iranians Navid Bavi and Bahar Mahroo were attacked outside the Dewan Al-Kafeel community centre in Wembley, north-west London, in May last year.

They were protesting a memorial service for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi when masked thugs emerged from the building and assaulted them. Bavi was left partially paralysed while Mahroo reported being sexually assaulted. They had to be protected by police in hospital.

Just a few months earlier, Iranian-British journalist Pouria Zeraati had been stabbed outside his home in Wimbledon, south-west London, on March 29.

He was walking to his car to head to work at Iran International’s London studio when a man approached him asking for change. He said he had none when a second appeared and together they grabbed him. The first man stabbed him in the leg but he managed to flee.

Scotland Yard’s counter-terror unit were called in, given the Persian-language station is constantly threatened for its criticism of the regime in Tehran.

Zeraati had previously reported on threats against employees, including family members in Iran being questioned to pressure journalists.

Iran has been suspected of orchestrating attacks on British soil (pictured: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addressing the public at a event held in Tehran today)

MI5 chief Ken McCallum said his operatives have tackled 20 ‘potentially lethal’ plots backed by Tehran since 2022

Iranian-British journalist Pouria Zeraati was stabbed outside his home in south-west London

Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev was convicted of attempting to collect information likely to be useful for terrorism

Romanian nationals Nandito Badea, 19, and George Stana, 23, were arrested in their home country in December over the attack. Extradition proceedings are under way.

Chechen-born Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev was jailed for spying on Iran International’s headquarters in Chiswick, west London, in February 2023. The Austrian citizen was convicted of attempting to collect information likely to be useful for terrorism.

Dovtaev, 32, flew into Gatwick from Vienna and took a cab to the TV channel’s base, where he was spotted by security guards who alerted the police. Examination of his phone suggested he was recording the security arrangements as he walked by.

His visit was said to be the most recent in a series by ‘others unknown’, who had also taken videos, beginning in the summer of 2022. Dovtaev was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison.

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