Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been designated as threat to the state in the UK under new anti-terrorism style powers.
Officials warned on Monday that anyone operating for the IRGC and involved in acts of sabotage on behalf of newly designated groups could face life imprisonment.
Also designated is Harakat Ashab Al Yamin Al Islamiyya, which translates as the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right, an IRGC-linked group which has claimed responsibility for attacks on Jewish and Iranian opposition targets in the UK and Europe.
Russia’s GRU Volunteer Corps joined the first group of foreign-controlled entities to be designated under the National Security (State Threats) Act, which came into force last week.
“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.”
Reassurance measures
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 Jewish targets, including synagogues and a community ambulance service, have taken place in north London, while two men were stabbed in the street in incidents linked to Iran.
In response, the UK Home Office has announced extra funding for the London's Metropolitan Police to ensure the force deploys 300 additional officers in predominately Jewish areas of the capital.
The funding is part of a £250 million ($335 million) national package that will be spent on enhancing security for Jewish communities.
This includes 80 additional officers for Greater Manchester, where two men were killed in the terrorist attack outside the Heaton Park Synagogue last October.
Seven other police force areas with sizeable Jewish populations – Hertfordshire, Essex, Sussex, Thames Valley, West Midlands, West Yorkshire and Northumbria – will share about £43 million.
The funding comes alongside the UK raising 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”.
The funding announcement includes £41 million on national policing co-ordination, which will include anti-Semitism training for all officers in England and Wales. There will also be an extra £59 million spent on counter-terrorism police.
The government has already announced £32.4 million in the coming year for protective security in Jewish communities, including at synagogues, schools and community centres.
Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council, said levels of hate crime – and anti-Semitism in particular – “have risen nationally”.
“We recognise traditional reassurance-led approaches are insufficient in the current environment,” he said. “This funding will enable us to be robust in our response to this threat, ensuring a focus on protective security, deterrence, and maintaining trust and confidence.”
The government said it will also tackle anti-Semitism, confront extremism and strengthen community cohesion.
Police also have new powers, under the Crime and Policing Act, to restrict protests around places of worship. The National Health Service and the Department for Education have also undertaken reviews into anti-Semitism in healthcare and education settings.
Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust, which provides security to Jewish communities, said: “This serious increase in policing and government support comes not a moment too soon, because this is a critical time for the future of British Jews.”
The announcement comes after mosques and Islamic centres in the UK were last year granted £10 million in extra security funding in response to a rise in hate crimes.
During violent disorder of summer 2024, mosques in the English cities of Southport, Middlesbrough and Sunderland were attacked, causing significant distress to communities.
