Four men arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran

Shortly after 1am on Friday, detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing London made the arrests at addresses in Barnet and Watford as part of a pre-planned operation.

One of the men arrested is an Iranian national, with the remaining three dual British/Iranian nationals.

The investigation relates to suspected surveillance of locations and individuals who are linked to the Jewish community in the London area.

Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “Today’s arrests are part of a long-running investigation and part of our ongoing work to disrupt malign activity where we suspect it."

The four men arrested were a 40-year-old, a 55-year-old, who were arrested in addresses in the Barnet area.

Then a 52-year-old was arrested in Watford, with searches ongoing at an address there and in Wembley.

A 22-year-old man was also arrested at an address in Harrow.

Six other men were arrested, aged 29, 39, 42, 49 and two aged 20 at the same location in Harrow, on suspicion of assisting an offender.

All 10 men have been taken in custody.

Ms Flanagan said: "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 Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has commented on the matter, on an X post, she wrote that the police and security services "won't hesitate to take action".

She wrote: "I want to thank the police and our security services for the action they’ve taken today to keep Britain safe from a potential threat.

“The Jewish community and the wider public will understandably be concerned by today’s arrests.

"We continue to monitor the situation closely and engage with those affected.

“I can reassure you that our police and security services are world leading and won’t hesitate to take action to counter any threat to the UK."

This story comes as military action has ramped up on the Middle East since the US and Israel launched a "joint operation" called, Mission Epic Fury, against Iran.

Since then, the US's allies, including the UK, have been roped into the conflict, which has impacted numerous countries across the Middle East, leaving hundreds of thousands of Britons stranded in the region.

On Thursday, the Prime Minister addressed the nation on the situation in the Middle East and emphasised the UK must "come together in this moment".

He said: "As a nation, we should come together in this moment.

"Those citizens that are stuck in the region, scared and in need of help, come from all backgrounds - the armed forces who protect them come from all backgrounds too.

"We are united by our common humanity and our love for this country."

Also, on Wednesday, another string of arrests were conducted across the UK as three men were arrested on suspicion of spying for China.

Among one of the men arrested was David Taylor, who is married to Joani Reid, Scottish Labour MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven.

Following the news, Ms Reid "voluntarily" suspended herself from the Labour Party on Thursday.

Ms Reid denied any knowledge which would point to her to suspect her husband, David Taylor, of spying for the Chinese.

The Labour Party described the allegations against Taylor as "incredibly serious".

Both investigations are ongoing.