Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
10 KIDNAP & DEATH PLOTS
Iran targets Brit enemies on UK’S soil
AT least 10 kidnap and murder plots by Iran against British citizens on UK soil have been foiled by the security services.
MI5 chief Ken Mccallum said Tehran’s “aggressive intelligence services” had targeted people seen as enemies of the regime.
He added: “We have seen at least 10 such potential threats since
January alone. We work at pace with domestic and international partners to disrupt this completely unacceptable activity.”
It comes amid widespread condemnation of Iran’s crackdown on female rights demonstrations under the hardline regime led by Ayataollah Ali Khamenei.
Labour MP John Spellar of the Commons Defence Committee called for members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be banned from the UK. He said: “The tentacles of the clerical fascist Iranian state are threatening people living peacefully in our country.” Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, whose constituent Nazanin Zaghariratcliffe was held for years in Iran, said: “The dangers to UK citizens from Iran are far from over.” Pressure piled on FIFA over Iran joining the World Cup as its team gets set to face England next Monday in Qatar, where Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate was seen yesterday. The Iranian team’s head coach Carlos Queiroz, asked by a UK reporter if he was happy representing the country, said:
“How much you pay me to answer that question?”
Labour MP Liam Byrne said: “If we’ve banned
Russia from the World
Cup it’s time to ask why we’re not banning Iran.” Independent MP Neil Coyle said: “It is ridiculous that England will play Iran in Qatar now we know that regime has been plotting further attacks on British soil.” Using a football analogy, Mr Mccallum said the UK is up against regimes “who are not squeamish about the tactics they deploy”. He said Russia “routinely cheats to get its way”. He stressed Vladimir Putin’s regime was not winning the war in Ukraine, but said: “They will keep attacking us.” China is “trying to buy the league, recruit our coaching staff ” and Iran “will only let people support one team”. Highlighting Iran supplying drones to Russia, he told of “the risk of these teams loaning players to each other”. Last week Iran’s top diplomat in the UK was called to the Foreign Office over a threat to journalists in the UK. c.hughes@miror.co.uk@ defencechris
THE England team stretched themselves yesterday as their World Cup campaign begins in earnest.
Kyle Walker and his teammates limbered up with a spot of yoga.
The Manchester City star and pal John Stones, both 28, also made a new friend – Dave the cat – posting a photo on social media.
Earlier the squad had been greeted in Qatar by a camel and a local singer.
The Souq hotel in Al Wakrah, south of Doha, laid on the camel – wearing a mask to make sure it did not bite – as the team arrived at their hotel. The inner courtyard was bathed in Three Lions red as Harry Kane, 29, and his side were serenaded with a rendition of Robbie Williams’ Angels and Gypsy Woman by Crystal Waters.
They also enjoyed a barbecue and Leicester City’s James Maddison, 25, showed off his darts skills. Locals near the Souq, the local market, explained the team will hear six calls to prayer from dawn to dusk every day – starting at first light, which is 4.39am.
The rooms have 2ft thick walls. But it was likely to give most of the 24-man squad an early wake up call on their first day on the Arabic peninsula. The camel was led into the back of the hotel for a welcome ceremony along with a falconer.
The squad also had their first training session at their Al Wakrah sports complex base.
Let’s hope their yoga helps them to bend it like Beckham on the pitch.