Seven of them were detained in the last 48 hours as part of an investigation into a possible arson plot. This was reported by the Reuters agency with reference to the announcement of the anti-terrorist unit of the London police.
The wave of arrests comes as police investigate a series of attacks on Jewish properties in the British capital in recent days and weeks, including an attempted arson attack on a synagogue in northwest London last weekend. A 17-year-old confessed to it in court today. So far, no one has been injured in the attacks.
British security authorities have warned that Iran is apparently trying to use intermediaries to carry out hostile activities in Britain. Several recent attacks have been claimed by the Islamist organization Harakat Asháb al-Jamín al-Islámíja (Islamic Movement of Orthodox Companions), which Reuters describes as pro-Iranian. However, police today did not indicate a connection between this group and the latest arrests.
This morning, police officers arrested a 39-year-old man under the Terrorism Act in connection with an investigation into a case where suspicious items, including two containers of powder, were found at the Israeli embassy in central London last week.
The anti-terrorist police said that since the end of March, when attackers set fire to four ambulances belonging to a volunteer Jewish organization, they have detained a total of 23 people. At the weekend, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the new wave of attacks on the Jewish community in the country as disgusting.
However, according to police and community groups, the number of attacks on the Jewish population and Jewish targets in Britain has already increased since the October 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist movement Hamas, which was followed by the war in the Gaza Strip.
