Student ‘volunteered to spy for Iran’
A student volunteered for the elite clandestine wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at the Ayatollah’s embassy in London, a court heard.
British Iranian Vahid Aberi, 38, allegedly made several attempts to join the IRGC’s Quds Force, which is responsible for Iran’s foreign operations, between 17 December 2025 and 16 July 2026.
Aberi, who has joint British and Iranian nationality, was arrested in Birmingham on Wednesday and charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act.
Prosecutor Kristel Pous said Aberi was stopped at Stansted Airport upon his return from Turkey when a search of his phone revealed he had ‘on a number of occasions’ tried to contact the IRGC.
She said: ‘These attempts have failed, causing him to write to the Iranian consulate on the 23 June, where he effectively requested [to be] a “humble servant” of the “Basij” to his “dear compatriots in Islamic Iran”.’
‘Basij’ refers to the Iranian paramilitary volunteer militia and the branch of the IRGC that enlists civilian volunteers who are motivated by zealotry and devotion to the Islamic Republic.
Ms Pous added: ‘As a result, a role player was employed… the defendant completed a vetting exercise to act for the Iranian intelligence services in the UK.’
Aberi, of Liverpool allegedly scouted out storage locations in London and, having identified Marble Arch as the prime option, was tasked to pick up a bag containing a drone, a tablet, and two maps.
He then delivered it to a garage in Smethwick, near Birmingham, but did not open it to look at its contents nor probe for its purpose.
Aberi allegedly offered a contingency plan to his IRGC ‘role player’ in case anything happened to him, but was assured that the package would be delivered one way or another.
He was arrested that same day, on 15 July, near the garage where he was spotted holding two large bags that he loaded onto his car.
Aberi appeared in the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today (Fri) wearing a grey prison-issue t-shirt, speaking only to confirm his name and address.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told Aberi: ‘You must and will appear before the Central Criminal Court on the 21 August this year.’
Aberi remains in custody.
ENDS
