UK police arrest four men suspected of spying for Iran on Jewish community
British police have arrested four men suspected of spying for Iran following an investigation into alleged surveillance of Jewish sites and individuals in London.
Counter-terrorism officers carried out a series of pre-planned raids shortly after 1am at addresses across north-west London and nearby Hertfordshire. Two men aged 40 and 55 were detained in Barnet, while a 52-year-old man was arrested in Watford and a 22-year-old in Harrow.
UK Police van (Calreyn88 CC x 4)
Police said the suspects were arrested on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, an offence under Britain’s National Security Act 2023, which was introduced to counter espionage and foreign interference.
Detectives said one of the men is an Iranian national, while the other three have dual British-Iranian citizenship.
Authorities said the investigation relates to suspected surveillance targeting locations and individuals connected to London’s Jewish community.
Six other men were also arrested in Harrow on suspicion of assisting an offender. All ten men remain in custody while officers continue to question them and carry out searches at several properties, including an address in Wembley.
London Metropolitan Police commander Helen Flanagan said the arrests were part of a long-running counter-terrorism investigation.
“We understand the public may be concerned, in particular the Jewish community, and as always, I would ask them to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us,” she said.
Jewish community organisations welcomed the police action. The Community Security Trust, which provides security advice and protection for Jewish institutions across Britain, thanked police and intelligence agencies for their efforts to safeguard the community.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews also praised the arrests, saying they highlighted the continuing need to protect Jewish sites and individuals from threats linked to hostile foreign actors.
British intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned that Iran poses one of the most serious state-based security threats to the United Kingdom. Officials say Iranian intelligence networks have sought to monitor and intimidate critics of the Iranian regime overseas and have been linked to plots targeting journalists, dissidents and Jewish organisations in Europe.
The arrests come as tensions in the Middle East remain high, with Iran engaged in escalating hostilities with Israel and the United States across the region. Britain is not participating in offensive operations, but it has been assisting in regional defence.
AAP
