Additional Coverage:
London Police Bust Alleged Iranian Surveillance Ring Targeting Jewish Community
London’s counter-terrorism police made a significant move early Friday, arresting four Iranian men suspected of conducting surveillance for Iranian intelligence services. The targets? Individuals and locations connected to the Jewish community in the capital.
The suspects, one Iranian national and three dual British-Iranian nationals aged between 22 and 55, were apprehended shortly after 1 a.m. local time. Raids were carried out at addresses in north London and Watford, just north of the city, under the authority of the National Security Act, according to a news release from the Metropolitan Police.
Searches at at least three addresses in the north London borough of Barnet are still ongoing.
In a related development, six other male suspects, aged 20 to 49, were also arrested at one of the raided London locations on suspicion of assisting an offender and assaulting police officers.
Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing for London, stated, “Today’s arrests are part of a long-running investigation and part of our ongoing work to disrupt malign activity where we suspect it.” She added, “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.”
These arrests represent the latest chapter in a lengthy history of alleged covert activities by the Iranian regime on British soil. These operations have often targeted dissidents, exiled Iranian news organizations offering independent coverage to those in Iran and the diaspora, and groups opposed to the regime.
British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy told ITV television on Friday morning, “Iran is the biggest state sponsor of terrorism globally and sadly, that is in effect in our own society as well.” He further commented, “Our intelligence services and counter-terrorism police have thwarted lots of action over the last few years.”
Just last Saturday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in announcing Britain’s “defensive” participation in the U.S.-Israeli offensive against Iran, condemned Iranian aggression against Britain’s Middle East allies and noted that the United Kingdom itself has been a long-standing target. He stated, “Even in the United Kingdom, the Iranian regime poses a direct threat to dissidents and to the Jewish community. Over the last year alone, they have backed more than 20 potentially lethal attacks on U.K. soil.”
In May, three Iranian men faced charges for allegedly conducting surveillance and reconnaissance on U.K.-based journalists working for the Iran International news outlet, purportedly to facilitate “serious violence” against them. Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, all from London, are accused of “engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service” under the National Security Act. A plea hearing is scheduled for September 26, with a provisional trial date set for October 5.
Iran International, a Persian-language satellite TV channel and digital news operation founded in 2017, provides highly critical coverage of the Iranian government, which has labeled it a terrorist organization. British media and U.S. academics have previously reported alleged links between Iran International and high-level backers in Saudi Arabia, a claim Iran International denies.