LONDON, April 16 (Reuters) - British police said on Thursday they had arrested three men in connection with an attempted arson attack on the offices of a Persian language media organisation in
Three arrested after attempted arson at Persian-language media office in London
Details of the Attempted Arson and Ongoing Investigations
By Sam Tabahriti and Sam Tobin
Incident Overview
LONDON, April 16 (Reuters) - British police said on Thursday they had arrested three people in connection with an attempted arson attack on the offices of a Persian-language media organisation in northwest London, which followed two similar incidents in the British capital.
An ignited container was thrown towards the premises of the parent company of Iran International, Volant Media, on Wednesday evening, landing in a car park where the fire extinguished itself. No damage was reported and there were no injuries, the police said.
Suspects and Police Response
Two men, aged 19 and 21, and a 16-year-old boy were arrested on suspicion of arson endangering life. The arson attempt was not being treated as terrorism, but counterterrorism officers were involved in the investigation, police said.
Media Organisation's Statement
Iran International said a suspicious vehicle was denied entry to its London site shortly before incendiary devices were thrown into a nearby car park.
It said it viewed the incident in the context of "growing threats and intimidation" directed at the organisation and its journalists.
Context of Recent Attacks in London
The incident comes a day after police arrested two suspects following an attempted arson attack on a synagogue, also in north London.
Targeting of Communities
Jewish Communities and Iranian Diaspora Increasingly Targeted, Police Say
Last month, several ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency service Hatzola were set alight while parked near a synagogue in the Golders Green area of north London.
Matt Jukes, a deputy commissioner for London's Metropolitan Police, said in a statement on Thursday he understood why conflict overseas and heightened tensions in Britain would be "deeply worrying."
"London’s Jewish communities and the Iranian diaspora in London have, in recent years, been increasingly targeted by individuals, groups and hostile states intent on spreading fear, hate and harm," Jukes said.
Threats Against Journalists and National Security Concerns
British authorities have previously warned that there is a threat to journalists working for Persian-language outlets that are critical of Iran's government. In 2024, a journalist working for the television news network Iran International was stabbed in the leg near his home in south London.
Britain's MI5 spy boss said last October that his agency and British police had tracked more than 20 Iranian-backed plots to kidnap or kill British nationals or individuals based in Britain who were regarded by Tehran as a threat.
"We are dealing with an unprecedented level of national security investigations, some with suspected links to foreign states and many of those have dangerous and often reckless intentions," Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, told reporters on Thursday.
She added that the incidents had taken place against a backdrop of "global instability within which we're seeing sustained and increasing aggressive and hostile activity".
Reporting and Editorial Credits
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti, Catarina Demony and Sam Tobin; Editing by Michael Holden, Alex Richardson and Alison Williams, William Maclean)
