Published: 06 March 2026
The English Chronicle Desk
The English Chronicle Online
Four men have been arrested as part of a counter-terrorism investigation relating to Iran, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed .
Police detained one Iranian national and three dual British-Iranian nationals on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, contrary to section 3 of the National Security Act 2023 . The investigation relates to the suspected surveillance of locations and individuals linked to Jewish communities in London .
The arrests were carried out shortly after 1am on Friday by detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing London as part of a pre-planned operation . A 40-year-old and a 55-year-old were arrested at addresses in Barnet, a 52-year-old in Watford and a 22-year-old in Harrow . Searches remain ongoing in Watford, Barnet, and an address in Wembley .
Six other men aged 29, 39, 42, 49 and two aged 20, were arrested at the same location in Harrow on suspicion of assisting an offender . All ten men have been taken into custody .
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said the arrests were 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” .
The Community Security Trust, a charity which seeks to protect Britain’s Jewish community and monitors reports of antisemitism, thanked police in a statement and added: “Security is strong across the Jewish community” .
Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain shortly after news broke of the arrests, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said: “Iran is the biggest state sponsor of terrorism globally and sadly, that is in effect in our own society as well” . He praised the work of the security services and police, noting that intelligence services and counter-terrorism police have “thwarted lots of action over the last few years” .
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned Iran’s actions against “partners across the region” and stated: “Even in the United Kingdom, the Iranian regime poses a direct threat to dissidents and to the Jewish community” . He added that over the last year alone, Iran has backed “more than 20 potentially lethal attacks on UK soil” .
The arrests come amid heightened tensions following Iranian retaliatory strikes after the US-Israel attack at the weekend . Britain is not involved in offensive operations but is assisting in regional defence .
Police have urged the public to remain vigilant and report anything that “doesn’t look or feel right” by calling 0800 789 321 in confidence or via www.gov.uk/ACT .

























































































