A group of suspected Iranian terrorists were planning a deadly attack on the Israeli Embassy in London, police believe.
Counter terrorism officers swooped on Saturday as a gang of four Iranian men were allegedly planning an imminent attack, which could have resulted in widespread loss of life if successful.
Security minister Dan Jarvis this week described the arrest of the four alleged plotters, and that of a second Iranian cell suspected of espionage activity, as ‘some of the largest counter state threats and counter-terrorism actions we have seen in recent times.’
Mr Jarvis did not name the target but it can now be revealed as the embassy in Kensington, West London, which is already behind 8ft walls and has 24 hour armed guards due to the general threat it faces.
A series of security reviews has been commissioned by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in the wake of the terror plot, which will likely affect security arrangements at other embassies in the capital.
Mr Jarvis told MPs: ‘The investigation relates to a suspected plot to target specific premises. Police officers have been in contact with the affected site to make them aware and provide relevant security advice and support.
‘Investigators refused to provide further detail last night about the nature of the attack planned, which is likely to have been state-sponsored.’
The threat was considered so serious that armed special forces teams were drafted in to assist counter terrorism officers carry out raids of properties in Rochdale, Swindon, London, Manchester and Stockport in unprecedented scenes.
Police arrest a suspect allegedly involved in an Iranian-linked terror plot targeting the Israeli embassy in London
Pictures of a raid in Rochdale shows three officers dressed in black and two other men dressed in camo gear escorting a suspect out of a property
Undercover police officers also swooped on a suspected Iranian terrorist in Swindon on Saturday after posing as customers in a café
There was no comment from the Israeli embassy last night.
Five men were arrested on Saturday on suspicion of preparation of an act of terrorism in raids across Rochdale, Swindon, west London, Stockport and Manchester.
Four of the men, aged between 29 and 46, remain in custody, while a 24-year-old has been released on bail, according to the newspaper.
Pictures of the raid in Rochdale show three officers dressed in black and two other men dressed in camo gear escorting one of the suspects out of a property.
Undercover police officers were also pictured swooping on a suspected Iranian terrorist in Swindon on Saturday after posing as customers in a café. The officers were then seen dragging the suspect through the street towards a police van.
Three other Iranian men were also arrested under the National Security Act on the same day, although this was part of a separate operation.
They are now being questioned by police on suspicion of working on behalf of a foreign state, understood to be Iran.
Speaking earlier this week of the security operation, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the arrests ‘reflect some of the biggest counter-state threat and counter-terrorism operations we have seen in recent years’.
Pictured are a group of Counter Terrorism Specialist Firearms Officers outside a home in Rochdale during another raid on Saturday
Pictured: Police forensic officers search a house on May 04, 2025 in Rochdale, England, following a counter terrorism raid
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (pictured) said the arrests on Saturday ‘reflect some of the biggest counter-state threat and counter-terrorism operations we have seen in recent years’
Asked about possible links to the Iranian state, she said: ‘These are major operations and the ongoing investigation is immensely important, and, of course, it involves Iranian nationals in both investigations.
‘But this reflects the complexity of the kinds of challenges to our national security we continue to face.’
Iran has been blamed for a series of attacks on Israeli embassies across Europe in the last year.
Sweden’s security service Sapo suggested Iran was involved in two attacks in October when shots were fired at the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, days before two explosions were reported near the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen.
Fredrik Hallstrom, of Sapo, said the targets and methods pointed in the direction of Iran.
Months earlier, gunshots were fired around the Stockholm embassy, which Mossad blamed on a crime group directed by Iran.
The Israeli spy agency also said an organized crime ring in Sweden working on Iran’s behest was behind an explosive device found inside the grounds of the same embassy in January.
Last year Mossad claimed Iranian-backed criminals were behind an attack on Israel’s embassy in Belgium when two airsoft grenades were thrown at the building in May.
Head of MI5 Sir Ken McCallum recently warned that Iran is plotting attacks at ‘an unprecedented pace and scale’, with a risk that Iranian state aggression could ‘broaden’ due to the Middle East conflict.
He highlighted the risk that Iran could try to repurpose its criminal proxies to target Britons if there was further escalation in the Middle East, adding that MI5 was ‘powerfully alive to the risk that events in the Middle East directly trigger terrorist action in the UK’.
Police are currently questioning four Iranian men, aged between 29 and 46, on suspicion of plotting the terrorist attack on the embassy in Kensington.
A fifth man, aged 24, detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, has been bailed.
Mr Jarvis refused on Tuesday to give details of the immigration status of the suspects or say how they got in the country.
In a separate counter terrorism operation on Saturday, police arrested three other Iranian men for alleged offences under the National Security Act.
Although the groups are separate, it was feared that news of police thwarting a suspected Iranian terror cell would spook others suspected of working for the enemy state in the UK.
The dual counter terrorism operations will send a powerful message to Iran, which has backed 20 plots posing a potentially lethal threat to journalists and dissidents living in Britain since January 2022.
In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said: ‘Disturbed to learn that Iranian citizens have reportedly been arrested by UK security services.
‘If credible allegations of misconduct are established, Iran stands ready to assist investigations.
‘We call on UK to ensure respect for our citizens’ rights and afford them due process.’
Sir Ken McCallum, head of MI5, had recently warned that Iran was plotting attacks at ‘an unprecedented pace and scale’, and said there was a risk that Iranian state aggression could ‘broaden’ due to conflict in the Middle East.
In October, Sir Ken warned: ‘We’ve seen plot after plot here.’ Iran uses criminal proxies, from international drug traffickers to ‘low-level crooks’, to carry out its ‘dirty work’ in the UK, he added.
Warning those who collaborate with hostile states, the spymaster said: ‘If you take money from Iran, Russia or any other state to carry out illegal acts in the UK you will bring the full weight of the national security apparatus down on you. It’s a choice you’ll regret.’
The dual counter-terrorism operations will send a powerful message to Iran, which is said to have backed 20 plots posing a potentially lethal threat to journalists and dissidents living in Britain since January 2022.
In the past year, MI5 investigations into hostile-state threats have risen by almost 50 per cent following a surge in assassination, kidnap, arson and sabotage plots.
As well as being linked to alleged terror plots, Iranian forces have also tried to recruit spies in the British military.
Among them includes Daniel Khalife – a ‘hapless’ young soldier who was jailed in February for 14 years and three months for espionage.
The 23-year-old was caught spying for Iran before then fleeing prison by clinging to the bottom of a food truck – before again being caught by the authorities.
He claimed to have been on a one-man ‘double agent’ mission but was labelled an ‘attention seeker’ by a judge when he was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court in London.
Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said: ‘Any speculation around this investigation could have a negative impact as we work to keep the public safe from potential threats.
‘This is a fast-moving counter-terrorism investigation and there are significant operational reasons why we cannot provide further information at this time.
‘As soon as possible we will look to share further details and in the meantime we would ask the public to remain vigilant and contact us if you have any concerns.’
