British counterterrorism police arrested four men suspected of assisting a foreign intelligence service linked to Iran in a case involving surveillance of Jewish community locations, authorities said on Friday.
Four men were arrested early Friday as part of a counterterrorism investigation into suspected offences under the UK’s National Security Act 2023, police said.
Detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing London detained the suspects shortly after 01:00 at addresses in Barnet and Watford during what authorities described as a pre-planned operation.
The investigation concerns suspected surveillance of locations and individuals connected to the Jewish community in the London area.
“Today’s arrests are part of a long-running investigation and part of our ongoing work to disrupt malign activity where we suspect it,” Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, 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,” Flanagan added.
Arrests and searches
Police said the four suspects include one Iranian national and three men who hold dual British-Iranian citizenship.
Two of the men – aged 40 and 55 – were arrested at addresses in the Barnet area. Searches are ongoing at those locations.
A 52-year-old man was arrested in Watford. Officers are searching that property as well as another in Wembley.
A fourth suspect, a 22-year-old man, was arrested in Harrow.
Six additional men aged 20 to 49 were arrested at the same Harrow location on suspicion of assisting an offender. One of them was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.
All ten men have been taken into custody.
The Charity Commission said charities could be affected in different ways by the “volatile situation” in Iran and the wider Middle East and urged trustees to carefully assess the risks of political activity, public statements and overseas operations.
The watchdog said organizations working in or commenting on Iran should be mindful that individuals and groups in the country are subject to sanctions and other restrictions under UK law.
“As a civil regulator we will respond robustly to evidence of links between charities and extremism or terrorism,” a Charity Commission statement said. “We will make referrals to other agencies where appropriate including where there is evidence of criminality.”
Trustees were reminded that any political activity must directly support a charity’s stated purpose and comply with regulations governing campaigning and social media use.
“In the current context, the Commission urges charities to be careful to ensure that any political activity they are involved in furthers their charity’s objects and complies with our guidance,” the regulator said.
The statement comes amid longstanding concerns in Britain that networks connected to Iran have used charities and religious organizations to promote political influence.
Several UK-based charities have faced investigations in recent years over alleged links to groups aligned with Tehran.
In 2024, the Charity Commission opened a compliance case involving the London-based Dar Alhekma Trust and the Abrar Islamic Foundation following a dossier alleging connections to organizations backed by Iran. Both groups deny wrongdoing.
Other organizations have drawn political criticism over activities seen by some lawmakers as promoting narratives aligned with the Islamic Republic. Conservative MP Bob Blackman last year accused Iran-linked groups of exploiting Britain’s charity sector to expand influence and “sow discord” in local communities.
Security officials and lawmakers have also warned that Tehran has used networks in Europe to extend ideological influence, even as regulators emphasize the need to balance scrutiny with protections for lawful religious and charitable activity.
“Regarding the status of the nuclear installations in Iran, up to now, we have no indication that any of the nuclear installations, including the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, the Tehran Research Reactor or other nuclear fuel cycle facilities have been damaged or hit,” Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told an emergency meeting of the Board of Governors.
“Efforts to contact the Iranian nuclear regulatory authorities through the IEC continue, with no response so far. We hope this indispensable channel of communication can be reestablished as soon as possible,” he added.
The agency’s Incident and Emergency Centre, Grossi said, was fully operational and coordinating with regional safety networks. “So far, no elevation of radiation levels above the usual background levels has been detected in countries bordering Iran,” he said.
Warning against strikes on nuclear facilities
Armed attacks on nuclear sites, Grossi said, carry risks that extend beyond national borders.
“Let me again recall past General Conference resolutions that state that armed attacks on nuclear facilities should never take place and could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked,” he said.
He urged restraint by all sides. “Consistent with the objectives of the IAEA, as enshrined in its Statute, I reiterate my call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation,” Grossi added.
The IAEA chief also said negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program must start again. “To achieve the long-term assurance that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons and for maintaining the continued effectiveness of the global non-proliferation regime, we must return to diplomacy and negotiations,” he said.
Iran envoy cites Natanz
Separately, Reuters reported that Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA said the United States and Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday. Asked which facility was struck, the ambassador replied “Natanz,” according to Reuters.
The Natanz nuclear facility is Iran’s main uranium enrichment site and has long been central to international concerns about Tehran’s nuclear activities.
Grossi added that while no radiological release has been detected, the situation remains serious. “Let me underline that the situation today is very concerning. We cannot rule out a possible radiological release with serious consequences,” he said.
Iran calls for IAEA condemnation
During the session, Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, called on the agency to condemn the attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
He rejected that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, calling them “completely false.”
Najafi said Iran’s response would continue, adding that such measures would remain in place as long as what he described as “aggression” continues.
A flag of the Islamic Republic and photographs of Iranian regime leaders were discovered inside the apartment of the suspect in the deadly Austin bar shooting, CBS News reported citing sources.
Authorities identified the suspect as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized US citizen originally from Senegal, the Associated Press reported, citing law enforcement officials.
He opened fire early Sunday at a bar in Austin’s West Sixth Street district, killing two people and injuring about 14 others before being shot and killed by police.
The suspect was wearing clothing bearing Islamic references, including a sweatshirt reading “Property of Allah” and a shirt featuring the flag emblem of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and a Quran was found in his vehicle, the report said.
The FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force are assisting in the investigation, and officials said there were indicators that could suggest a possible terrorism nexus, according to the Associated Press.
The suspect’s alleged X account shows a reply last year to a post by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who wrote that any strike on Iran would be “immediately reciprocated.” In response, the account identified as Ndiaga Diagne wrote that the “Islamic Revolution is eternal and here to stay until the end of time.”
Canada gym attack
Separately, hours after the announced death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei following US-Israeli strikes on Tehran, a boxing gym in Richmond Hill, Ontario, run by Iranian-Canadian dissident activist and cruiserweight champion Salar Gholami, was struck by gunfire overnight.
Video shared by Gholami showed multiple bullet holes across the front windows of Saliwan Boxing Club on Yonge Street, some displaying pro-Iranian liberation flags and images. At least two panes were shattered, and an evidence marker was visible above one of the bullet holes.
"Seventeen live rounds were fired randomly at the gym, and it was sprayed with bullets," Gholami told Iran International, describing the shooting as intimidation directed at critics of the Islamic Republic.
"This is the result of shaking hands with the mullahs and delaying action. When the Canadian government leaves the door open for them to enter, this will no longer be a safe place even for Canadians themselves. Seventeen bullets means it could have left behind 17 Canadian bodies."
Concerns over sleeper cells
Following the US-Israeli strikes on Iran and the killing of Ali Khamenei, retaliatory measures including by Iranian sleeper cells cannot be ruled out, a senior German lawmaker said on Sunday.
“The Iranian regime has repeatedly demonstrated in the past that it carries out its terror beyond its own borders,” Marc Henrichmann told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.
Last June, US law enforcement stepped up its monitoring of potential Iran-backed operatives within the United States amid the 12-day Israeli war on Iran which was later joined by the US.
In the days after Israel launched its attacks on Iran, the FBI under its director Kash Patel boosted surveillance over what sources cited by CBS described as Hezbollah-linked sleeper cells.
