Report: Arrested Iranian nationals were planning attack on Israeli Embassy in London

Eight Iranian men arrested in the United Kingdom over the weekend are suspected of plotting to attack the Israeli Embassy in London, according to an unsourced report in The Times newspaper.

“Police have refused to publicize details of the alleged plot, but it is understood the embassy was the main target,” says the report, without naming sources.

“Dan Jarvis, the security minister, refused to give details of the immigration status of the suspects citing the continuing police inquiry,” the newspaper adds.

There was no immediate comment from Israel’s Foreign Ministry or the embassy.

After two separate arrests of the men were conducted in counter-terrorism operations on Saturday, British Interior Minister Yvette Cooper called the operations “some of the biggest counter-state threats” the country had seen in recent years.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said earlier this week that “the investigation is still in its early stages and we are exploring various lines of enquiry to establish any potential motivation as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter.”

British media on Tuesday reported mounting speculation that the seven Iranians and one other person arrested over the weekend had been “hours away” from carrying out an attack on a synagogue or a location linked to London’s Jewish community, though there was no confirmation of the reports.

Agencies contributed to this report.