LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) - Britain said on Tuesday that a law to crack down on proxies acting for states deemed to be hostile such as Iran was expected to come into force next month, as it steps up powers to counter what it says is a growing threat posed by such groups.
The new powers, promised in the wake of a spate of antisemitic attacks in London, seek to close a gap in legislation to target state-linked organisations paying organised crime groups or low-level felons to carry out surveillance, sabotage, or other activities on their behalf.
In recent months there have been numerous arson attacks on Jewish sites, with police saying they were investigating possible Iranian links, while there have been convictions for people accused of spying or acting on behalf of Russian and Chinese organisations.
“Where foreign states are found to be engaging in activity that threatens lives or undermines our democratic institutions, we must ensure that such actions have consequences,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement. “We will not tolerate hostile actors paying petty criminals to do their dirty work.”
Britain’s domestic intelligence agency MI5 has warned of state-threat investigations increasing by 35% last year, including 20 potentially lethal Iranian-backed plots.
Britain has accused China and Russia, as well as Iran, of using proxies. All three dismiss the claims as propaganda.
The legislation would make it illegal to express support for designated proxies or to take money from them, providing for jail terms of up to 14 years.
Last week, an Iraqi national denied involvement in multiple attacks against American and Israeli interests in Europe, including some of the recent attacks in Britain, during a U.S. court appearance.
He is accused of directing people to carry out attacks in the name of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), a component of an Iran-backed militia which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Many British lawmakers have called for the banning of the IRGC but there was no indication of whether it would be included under the new legislation, with about 10 or fewer designations expected in the first year after it has become law.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
