Fourth Iranian national arrested in London counterterrorism operation

The 31-year-old suspect is the fourth man to be arrested in this counter terrorism operation.

A police officer walks outside New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, in London, Britain March 21, 2023. (photo credit: PETER NICHOLLS/REUTERS)
A police officer walks outside New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, in London, Britain March 21, 2023.
(photo credit: PETER NICHOLLS/REUTERS)

A 31-year-old Iranian national was arrested by London’s Metropolitan Police on Friday in connection with a series of counterterrorism arrests, police announced. 

The suspect is the fourth Iranian to be arrested in this investigation, and was detained at a residential home in North-West London under section 27 of the National Security Act (2023).

Police searched two addresses in connection with the arrest.

The suspect’s arrest was said to be unrelated to the thwarted plans to attack the Israeli embassy in Kensington. 

A protester waves an Iranian flag, Yemeni flag and a Palestinian flag as people attend the annual al-Quds Day, in London, Britain, March 23, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/JAIMI JOY)
A protester waves an Iranian flag, Yemeni flag and a Palestinian flag as people attend the annual al-Quds Day, in London, Britain, March 23, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/JAIMI JOY)

Iranian nationals arrested for allegedly planning attack on Israeli embassy

In a separate series of arrests, another four Iranian nationals were arrested by the Met after a counterterrorism investigation suggested they were planning an attack on London’s Israeli embassy.

One of the suspects attempted to evade arrest and ran through a civilian man's garden, the elderly property owner told the Telegraph. The homeowner, a man in his 80s, told the British newspaper that police burst into his bungalow to search for the suspect.

Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, described the police and MI5 operation as one of the “biggest counter-state threat and counter-terrorism operations that we have seen for years”.