Counter-terror police probe potential Iran links to London arson attacks

WorldPolitics
18 Apr 2026 • 1:20 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Counter-terror police probe potential Iran links to London arson attacks

  • Counter-terror police are investigating a series of arson attacks in London, including an attempted firebombing at a Persian media company, an attempted arson at a synagogue, and an attack on Jewish community ambulances.
  • Scotland Yard is probing potential links to Iran, though officers remain "open-minded" regarding motivation and have not declared the incidents as terrorist acts.
  • Multiple arrests have been made across the incidents, with three individuals charged in connection with the attempted firebombing at the Persian media company.
  • An Islamist group, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks, but experts have expressed "considerable doubts" about its credibility.
  • Counter Terrorism Policing highlighted an "unprecedented level of national security investigations" with suspected links to foreign states, urging public vigilance.

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