Sleeping beauties....
Sleeper cells are lurking in the UK — experts reveal how worried we should be
An underground network of Iranian sleeper cells poses an unlikely but credible threat to the UK, defense and security experts have told Metro.
The warning comes as British Iranians told us efforts to recruit them are commonplace when they visit Iran.
While highly unlikely, analysts say opponents of the Iranian regime and Britain’s Jewish community would be the most probable targets of hostile spying operations in the UK.
War between
Israel and
Iran erupted last week after Israel attacked Iranian cities and nuclear sites. In the early hours of Sunday,
Donald Trump changed the face of the conflict by
ordering US strikes on three of Iran’s key
nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan.
A
ceasefire between Israel and Iran has since been
confirmed, denied, and confirmed again by senior figures in both administrations — though
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has yet to acknowledge it.
Now, many are wondering what comes next, and whether it’s possible that the
conflict could reach these shores.
Metro spoke to leading university academics and British-Iranians about reports that Iran could call on a network of ‘sleeper agents’ to target the West.
What are sleeper cells?
Sleeper agents are spies who are living seemingly normal lives until they are ordered to act. Together, they form a cell.
Two members of the Iranian community in London have said efforts to hire agents for underground activity are common.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, both said these efforts are often refused.
B, 34, said: ‘They interrogate you in semi-friendly conditions.
‘They take you somewhere and potentially hold your passport until you talk with them. Then they ask you to perform some tasks for Iran.
As to the purpose of sleeper cells, B said: ‘[The Iranian government] are quite interested in curbing any outside operations opposed to the regime which could have threats to the national security to Iran.’
Another man, who came to the UK after the Iranian revolution that overthrew the Shah in 1979, agreed: ‘They don’t treat you badly. They may threaten some people, but usually they look friendly.
‘There have been reports of people saying “No, I do not want to do that”.’
Security lecturer Dr Andreas Krieg pointed to the Basij, Iran’s paramilitary volunteer militia, as a way to get agents in the UK.
He said some of the million strong civilian network have come to the UK and have been ‘curated’ to spy on Iranian dissidents.
British Iranians reveal to Metro how efforts to recruit them are commonplace.
metro.co.uk
www.aa.com.tr
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