Four arrested in London over alleged Iran-linked spying on Jewish community

Four men were arrested in London on Friday on suspicion of aiding Iran’s intelligence service by spying on locations and individuals connected to the city’s Jewish community, police said.

The suspects include one Iranian national and three dual British-Iranian citizens. They were apprehended at three separate addresses in the UK capital by counterterrorism officers, according to a statement from the Metropolitan Police.

Helen Flanagan, head of counterterrorism policing, said the arrests are “part of a long-running investigation” and urged the public, especially the Jewish community, to remain vigilant. “If they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us,” she said.

In a related development, six other men were taken into custody at one of the locations on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The arrests come amid heightened concerns over Iran’s intelligence operations in Britain, particularly as the country remains engaged in a conflict with the United States and Israel. British security agencies, including MI5, have previously warned of an increasing number of Iran-backed threats, with MI5 chief Ken McCallum noting that over 20 potentially lethal plots were tracked in the past year. Targets have included Iranian dissidents and journalists living in the UK.