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<\/a><\/p>\n2 injured during stabbing in Golders Green, April 29, 2026. Following a series of terrorist attacks targeting Jewish communities, London\u2019s Metropolitan Police raised the national terrorism threat level to Level 4. (Screenshot: YouTube)<\/p>\n
Following a series of attacks targeting Jewish communities, the UK national terrorism threat level was raised to \u201csevere,\u201d meaning an attack is considered highly likely in the next six months. British authorities said the upgrade followed the Golders Green attack and a broader rise in concern over terrorism threats.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the same time, new groups have\u00a0emerged\u00a0to recruit and manage such criminal gangs. One such organization is Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI), whose name surfaced after an attack on the Persian-language broadcaster Iran International in northwest London, where Molotov cocktails were allegedly thrown into the outlet\u2019s parking area. The group later circulated a video on Telegram purporting to show the attack.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The incident caused no major damage, but it highlighted the vulnerability of a broadcaster that has long faced threats and intimidation linked to the Iranian regime. Police said three suspects were arrested after a vehicle pursuit ended in a crash; those charged included two British men, aged 21 and 19, and a 16-year-old boy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Iran International has repeatedly faced security threats. In 2024, one of its journalists was stabbed outside his home in London, an attack that renewed scrutiny of the safety of Persian-language journalists living in exile. In many other cases, both current and former staff members of the broadcaster have reported serious threats and intimidation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
HAYI also claimed responsibility for attacks against ambulances belonging to a Jewish organization in north London, where Jewish and Iranian communities have lived side by side for years and have often supported one another. The group also claimed responsibility for the attack carried out by Essa Suleiman against two Jewish men in Golders Green. During that incident, a bystander intervened, helping prevent more serious harm and\u00a0stopping\u00a0the attacker from escaping.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The IRGC, and especially its external operations apparatus, often referred to as Unit 840, is widely believed to play\u00a0a central role\u00a0in the Islamic Republic\u2019s overseas operations. In recent years, and particularly after the recent war with Israel, these networks appear to have expanded their activities through a combination of Iranian and non-Iranian regime supporters in London and across Britain, alongside financial channels operating through exchange houses and other financial institutions allegedly involved in financial transfers and money laundering.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
With the\u00a0assistance\u00a0of criminal organizations such as the\u00a0Zindashti\u00a0Network, these structures have\u00a0reportedly been\u00a0able to\u00a0establish\u00a0links with organized crime groups. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
A security analyst in Tehran told The Media Line that in many European cities, the Islamic Republic\u2019s covert networks are engaged not only in surveillance and intelligence gathering, but also in building proxy groups to threaten dissidents, target selected individuals, and demonstrate capability to European security authorities. That assessment reflects mounting concern among British officials, journalists, and rights groups over Iran-linked threats in the UK.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Several Iranian journalists in London, including this writer, say they have repeatedly been followed by individuals believed to be linked to the IRGC, some of whom have presented themselves as diplomatic staff attached to the Iranian embassy. The Islamic Republic has also long been accused by dissidents and analysts of using Iraqi and Afghan Shiite networks to help\u00a0identify\u00a0or recruit operational assets abroad.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
A person raises a fist next to a sign reading No To Execution during a demonstration organized by members of the Iranian opposition to demand justice, human rights, and freedom for the Iranian people, in Paris, France, February 8, 2025. It is believed that the Islamic Republic\u2019s diplomatic missions have been used as hubs for espionage and for planning attacks against dissidents. Diplomats affiliated with the regime have repeatedly been expelled from European countries or faced legal proceedings over such activities. For this reason, many Iranians have called for the closure of the Islamic Republic\u2019s embassies and diplomatic missions. (BASTIEN OHIER\/Hans Lucas\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n The human rights organization Hana says the Islamic Republic uses its diplomatic missions for espionage and hostile activity against opposition journalists and dissident groups.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Shilan Vakili, the organization\u2019s spokesperson, told The Media Line: \u201cThere are reports that some individuals who were forced to visit Iranian consulates were questioned about their political activities, their relationships with various people, and even aspects of their personal lives.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Vakili said such encounters amounted to intelligence extraction. She added that the Islamic Republic uses its embassies and consulates, under diplomatic cover, to conduct espionage, build cases against opponents, and infiltrate Iranian communities through people posing as refugees, journalists, or researchers.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n British security services have in recent months arrested several Iranian nationals and other suspects\u2014some of whom allegedly entered the country illegally, claiming to be asylum seekers\u2014in operations linked to national security concerns. Officials have said some of those detained were involved in surveillance on Iranian dissidents and Jewish centers in London.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Until only a few weeks ago,\u00a0virtually nothing\u00a0was known publicly about HAYI. Some analysts, therefore, believe the group may be an artificial construct composed of gang members and hired teenagers used for specific operations, echoing methods previously attributed to Iranian-linked activity in Sweden and Denmark involving criminal gangs targeting Israeli or Jewish interests. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Investigative journalist Jane Prinsley of the Jewish Chronicle told The Media Line that \u201cthe name of this group has only emerged in recent weeks, after the recent war with Iran, and that is very frightening because these attacks are unpredictable.\u201d She added that more evidence and intelligence would be needed before concluding that the group receives direct orders from the IRGC. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned after the Golders Green attack that Iranian attempts to stir up violence in Britain would not be tolerated, accusing Tehran of spreading hatred and violence and\u00a0attempting\u00a0to destabilize the country. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n