British police have arrested four men on suspicion of carrying out espionage activities for Iran, following an investigation into alleged surveillance of locations and individuals connected to London’s Jewish community.
According to the police, the suspects were detained after coordinated arrests in Barnet, north London, and Watford, a town located north of the British capital.
Authorities said one of the suspects is an Iranian national, while the remaining three hold dual British-Iranian citizenship.
The arrests are part of what officials described as a long-running investigation into potential Iranian-linked intelligence activity within the United Kingdom.
Commander Helen Flanagan of the Metropolitan Police confirmed on Friday that detectives had been monitoring the suspects as part of efforts to counter foreign espionage threats.
“The arrests form part of an ongoing investigation,” she said.
Police said the four suspects are aged between 22 and 55 years old.
In addition, six other men were also arrested during the operation on suspicion of assisting an offender, authorities said.
British lawmakers and intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned about what they describe as increasing security threats from Iran within the UK.
Security concerns have also been raised by other Western countries. Australian authorities have previously linked a number of antisemitic incidents to actors connected to Tehran.
The investigation remains ongoing, and police have not yet disclosed further details about the alleged surveillance activities.
