Four men were arrested early Friday morning on suspicion of conducting surveillance of locations and individuals linked to the Jewish community in London to assist Iran.
The Metropolitan Police said the men, aged between 22 to 55, were “arrested as part of a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation” under the National Security Act.
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“The men were arrested on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, contrary to section 3 of the National Security Act, 2023. The country to which the investigation relates is Iran,” a statement confirmed.
Detectives arrested the men shortly after 1 a.m., local time, at addresses in the London boroughs of Barnet, Harrow, and Watford as part of what police described as a “pre-planned operation.” One of the men is an Iranian national; the other three are dual British-Iranian nationals.
Six additional men were arrested at the same location in Harrow, five on suspicion of assisting an offender and one on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.
All of the men in question have been taken into police custody.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said the arrests “are part of a long-running investigation and part of our ongoing work to disrupt malign activity where we suspect it.”
Acknowledging that the Jewish community, in particular, may be concerned, she urged the public to “remain vigilant” and contact the authorities if they witness or hear anything alarming.
British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood thanked police and security services following the arrests.
She said the authorities “won’t hesitate to take action to counter any threat to the U.K.” and have the “government’s full support as they carry out their vital work.”
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy declined to comment directly on the arrests, but said during an interview that “Iran is the biggest state sponsor of terrorism globally and sadly, that is in effect in our own society as well. Our intelligence services and counter-terrorism police have thwarted lots of action over the last few years.”
Meanwhile, the U.K.-based charity Campaign Against Antisemitism expressed gratitude over the arrests, but said the threat from Iran is “still not being taken seriously by the Government” and argued that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) should be proscribed as a terrorist organization in the U.K.
The U.K. arrests come amid the widening of the Iran war, which has engulfed several countries and territories across the world after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran last weekend which resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran’s retaliatory strikes have since targeted Gulf nations and also a British airbase in Cyprus.
While the U.K. refused to get involved in the initial U.S.-Israeli led strikes on Iran, it has since allowed the U.S. to use British bases and has launched defensive measures in a bid to protect U.K. citizens and allies against Iranian retaliation.
The government has also launched an extensive operation to bring home British citizens that are currently stranded in the Middle East.