She added : “We understand the public may be concerned, in particular the Jewish community, and as always, I would ask them to remain vigilant and if they see or hear anything that concerns them, then to contact us.”
Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain shortly after news broke of the arrests, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said: “Iran is the biggest state sponsor of terrorism globally and sadly, that is in effect in our own society as well.
“Our intelligence services and counter-terrorism police have thwarted lots of action over the last few years,” he added. He also praised the work of the security services and police.
The Community Security Trust, a charity which seeks to protect Britain’s Jewish community and monitors reports of antisemitism, thanked police in a statement and added: “Security is strong across the Jewish community.”
A 40-year-old and a 55-year-old were arrested at addresses in Barnet, a 52-year-old in Watford and a 22-year-old in Harrow.
Searches remain ongoing in Watford, Barnet, and an address in Wembley.
The four men were detained under the National Security Act, which was introduced in 2023 to modernise counter spying laws, combating foreign interference.