{"id":439438,"date":"2026-05-13T10:28:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T10:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/439438\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T10:28:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T10:28:08","slug":"iran-linked-networks-accused-of-using-criminal-gangs-to-target-dissidents-in-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/439438\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran-Linked Networks Accused of Using Criminal Gangs To Target Dissidents in London"},"content":{"rendered":"

Omid Habibinia reports from London<\/a> on a disturbing shift in the Islamic Republic\u2019s alleged overseas operations: Iranian-linked networks are believed to be relying more heavily on criminal gangs, hired teenagers, and deniable proxy groups to intimidate dissidents, threaten Persian-language journalists, and target Jewish sites in Britain.<\/p>\n

The story begins with a pattern of recent attacks and claims of responsibility by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, or HAYI, a little-known group whose name surfaced after Molotov cocktails were allegedly thrown at the parking area of Iran International, the Persian-language broadcaster in northwest London. Police arrested three suspects after a car chase, including two British men and a 16-year-old boy. The same group also claimed attacks involving Jewish targets in north London, including ambulances belonging to a Jewish organization and an attack on two Jewish men in Golders Green.<\/p>\n

The article places those incidents inside a wider British security alarm. The UK terrorism threat level was raised to \u201csevere,\u201d meaning an attack is considered highly likely, following the Golders Green incident and broader concern over terrorist threats. Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that Iranian efforts to stir violence in Britain would not be tolerated.<\/p>\n

Habibinia traces the alleged machinery behind the threat: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), its external operations apparatus often referred to as Unit 840, criminal intermediaries, exchange houses, and the Zindashti Network, an organized crime structure linked in sanctions reporting to Iranian intelligence. Britain sanctioned parts of that network\u2019s alleged financial architecture in May 2026, targeting people and entities accused of supporting hostile Iranian activity.<\/p>\n

The story also captures the climate of fear among Iranian journalists and activists in London. Several journalists, including Habibinia, say they have been followed by people believed to be linked to the IRGC. Rights advocates say Iranian embassies and consulates are used to collect information, intimidate opponents, and infiltrate communities through people posing as refugees, journalists, or researchers.<\/p>\n

Read the full article<\/a> and watch the video report<\/a> for Habibinia\u2019s account of how London became both a refuge for Iranian dissidents and, increasingly, a stage for Tehran\u2019s alleged campaign of intimidation abroad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Omid Habibinia reports from London on a disturbing shift in the Islamic Republic\u2019s alleged overseas operations: Iranian-linked networks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":438604,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-439438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=439438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/438604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=439438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=439438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=439438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}