UK arrests four people on suspicion of iran-related spying of jewish sites

UK holds four men on suspicion of Iranian spying on Jewish sites

Details of Arrests and Ongoing Investigations

By Sarah Young and Sam Tabahriti

Background of the Arrests

LONDON, March 6 (Reuters) - British police arrested four men on Friday on suspicion of helping Iran's intelligence services carry out surveillance of people and locations linked to the Jewish community in London.

Detectives said one of the men was Iranian, while three had dual British-Iranian nationality. The arrests were part of a "long-running investigation", police added, indicating the men's alleged activities pre-dated the U.S. and Israeli bombardment of Iran, which started last Saturday.

Previous Warnings and Related Incidents

British lawmakers and the domestic spy agency MI5 have long warned of threats posed to Britain by Iran. Three Iranians were charged with offences under Britain's National Security Act relating to assisting a foreign intelligence service last May.

In a separate investigation last year, police arrested five men, four of them Iranian, over a suspected plot to target specific premises, which British media said was the Israeli embassy. They were later released without charge.

Community Response and Security Measures

"The Jewish community and the wider public will understandably be concerned by today's arrests. We continue to monitor the situation closely," interior minister Shabana Mahmood said on X.

Locations and Details of the Arrests

Arrests Made in Barnet and Watford

Police said the four detained men were aged between 22 and 55 and they were being held in custody after being arrested in Barnet, north London, and Watford, a town 15 miles (24 km) north of the capital.

Six others were also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, and police said searches were ongoing.

Government and Security Agency Statements

Speaking about the current conflict in the Middle East on Thursday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that people would use it to divide the country.

"The government is reaching out to communities across the United Kingdom - Jewish and Muslim alike - making sure communities and places of worship have appropriate, protective security in place," he told a press conference.

Illustrating the threat from Iran, Britain's MI5 spy boss said last October that his agency and British police had tracked more than 20 Iranian-backed plots to kidnap or kill British nationals or individuals based in Britain who were regarded by Tehran as a threat.

International and Iranian Responses

Tehran Rejects Kidnap Plot Allegations

Britain and 13 allies, including the U.S. and France, warned of a surge in assassination and kidnapping plots by Iranian intelligence services last year, and weeks later Australia accused Iran of directing two antisemitic arson attacks in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne in August.

Iran has repeatedly denied such allegations, which it says are part of a campaign against it by hostile Western powers.

Antisemitic Incidents and Security Efforts

Britain recorded a 4% rise in antisemitic incidents in 2025, making it the second-worst year on record, a charity which provides security to the Jewish community said. Two men were killed last October during an attack on a synagogue in the northern English city of Manchester.

Mahmood said police and security services would continue to use the full range of powers available to them to counter any threat to Britain.

(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti, writing by Sarah Young; Editing by Kate Holton, Gareth Jones and Alex Richardson)