Iran is using social media as part of an “aggressive” campaign to recruit UK citizens to carry out attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets in Britain.
Just how easy it is to enter these networks can be revealed by The National after testing channels that carry out recruitment online. Typing fairly straightforward search terms into the Telegram app triggered interest from parties purporting to be Iranian intelligence.
Channels on the Telegram platform seen by The National state that they are seeking “highly paid” agents to work for Iranian intelligence. Experts who have seen the channels say they represent plausible attempts at recruitment by Iran and form part of its effort to destabilise the UK.
Recent weeks have brought a series of attacks on mainly Jewish targets in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the UK, which have been orchestrated by a group widely believed to be a front for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Harakat Ashab Al Yamin Al Islamia, or Ashab Al Yamin, which translates as the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand, has posted videos purporting to have been taken by those carrying out the attacks. The attacks included one on Iran International, an opposition TV channel, in London.
The group has also claimed responsibility for the stabbing of two Jewish men in north-west London. While Ashab Al Yamin has a logo and often disseminates videos of attacks, there are fears it is primarily a video editing operation with a social media strategy the purpose of which is propaganda.
Recruitment to carry out the acts of violence is almost certainly carried out either directly by Iran or by proxies acting on its behalf, experts believe. US court evidence has shown Iranian agents seek to remotely tap and reward people in foreign countries who can be mobilised to carry out attacks.
Over a period of a few days, The National interacted with two Telegram accounts that claim to be recruiting on behalf of Iranian intelligence. After starting a chat, a polite message appears saying that all data and conversations are safe and secure here.
After ID is verified, a series of questions are asked, including what country you are from, what your capabilities are, what action you can take against “Zionist individuals or assets”, and if you have “access to specific individuals or information”.
Bob Blackman, a Conservative MP who has been a vocal critic of the Iranian regime, condemned Tehran’s recruitment of agents online.
“It's an extremely aggressive move and also something that means that whoever is doing this needs to be closed down,” he told The National. “It's one thing to accept and acknowledge free speech, but it's another thing when people are recruiting people to cause harm to others, particularly physical harm and murder.”
Mr Blackman said he is “not surprised” as the Iranians are “increasingly desperate to disrupt this country”. “There have been numerous attacks that have been prevented by our security services, and this is more brazen than ever,” he said.
Another account asks more detailed information, including your highest level of education and what city you are from, before informing the user what work is on offer.
“The job is to put up posters that I give you to put up on walls, and for each installation and filming of it, I will pay you money. Before that you need to prove to me that you are in London.”
The proof required was a video taken in the city in which the would-be recruit showed three of their fingers. The recruit would be paid $2 for each poster put up, and printing costs would be covered too.
Ben Kurzer, rabbi at Golders Green Synagogue, said enhanced security is in place at Jewish buildings, but added that this is “dealing with the problem in an unfortunate way”.
“What we would like to see is for the root cause to be dealt with. There are obviously backers of these individuals who are carrying out these attacks – can't we try to investigate the source?” he said to the BBC.
Roger MacMillan, the former head of security at Iran International and an expert on Tehran’s use of proxies, said the links to Iranian hackers on the Telegram channels lent the recruitment an element of authenticity.
“They are brazen, I think this is the way that they are. They are in the open,” he told The National. “They do not wish to hide and they don’t care about being found. It's like if they find us, so what? We'll just drop it and start another one.”
Mr MacMillan said this openness marks a change in direction for the Iranians, who previously paid relatively large sums of money to proxies recruited through more covert means, such as Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev.
The Austrian citizen of Chechen origin was sentenced to nearly four years in jail after being convicted of plotting to fatally stab two presenters at Iran International in return for $200,000.
“It's an evolution in the fact that they've now realised they can do this almost at scale,” he said. “It's easily and quickly replicated and scaled up or down or just dropped if it becomes too difficult. They're also showing they can get into our society, they can get into our youth, and can get them to do their bidding.”
Lynette Nusbacher, a former military intelligence officer who worked on the UK’s national security strategy, also told The National she believed the channels are looking to recruit people. “Do I think it is plausible that this was a genuine attempt by somebody to get people to say or do stuff? Yes I do,” she told The National.
“So they are absolutely representing themselves as recruiting people to do things for the Iranian government, and one of the ways is to have a great Iranian flag on the screen, but this could be anybody at the other end.
“Iranian internet connectivity is not so good at present, so it could be somebody sitting in the basement of the Iranian embassy in London doing this. Or it could be somebody in an office block in Belarus or in Russia doing this on behalf of the Iranians.”
Ms Nusbacher said the Iranians may want to “recruit people to commit espionage, violent acts or whatever ... just building themselves a database of useful idiots in Britain”.
Another layer of motivation for the Iranians could be trying to turn British society against Muslims to undermine social cohesion.
“We are now meant to be suspicious of Iranians in the United Kingdom, including the Iranians who are anti-regime, and this feeds into the message that immigrants are not to be trusted,” she said.
Telegram has been approached for comment.
