British police said on Thursday they had arrested three suspects in connection with an attempted arson attack on the offices of the parent company of Iran International, Volant Media, in northwest London.
A 16-year-old boy and two men aged 19 and 21 were arrested on suspicion of arson, endangering life, and taken into police custody, where they remain, the police said.
Attempted arson caused no damage, no injuries
The attempted arson occured on Wednesday when an ignited container was thrown towards the premises of the unnamed media organization in Wembley. The container landed in a parking lot, and the fire extinguished itself, causing no damage or injuries, according to a Metropolitan Police press release.
A number of buildings nearby were evacuated as a precaution, although it was quickly established there was no wider risk.
Nearby police officers were notified of the incident, and upon immediate investigation, it was determined that the suspects had fled the scene in a black SUV. A police vehicle then located a vehicle that matched the description of the getaway car.
The vehicle refused to stop for law enforcement, leading to a chase before crashing. The suspects were then arrested.
Iran International said a suspicious vehicle was denied entry to its London site shortly before the incendiary devices were thrown into a nearby car park.
It also said it viewed the incident in the context of "growing threats and intimidation" directed at the organization and its journalists.
According to the Metropolitan Police, the attempted arson is not being treated as a terrorist attack but is being investigated by Counter Terrorism Policing London.
The incident has not been linked to the attempted arson of Finchley Reform Synagogue that happened earlier on Wednesday, or the March arson of Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green.
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.
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."