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According to sources familiar with the investigation, Iranian nationals planned a terror attack on the Israeli embassy in London, which led to their arrest by British counterterrorism police on Saturday.

Coordinated arrests across England led to the detention of five Iranians, while an additional three were apprehended in a separate operation in London.

Initially, UK authorities had not disclosed the suspects’ target, but on Sunday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that the investigation was focused on “a suspected plot to target specific premises.”

But people familiar with the investigation said on Wednesday that the five Iranians arrested across England were suspected of being part of a cell that was in the final stages of planning an attack on the Israeli embassy in Kensington, west London. 

They indicated that the suspects may have been hours away from executing their plans when police intervened. 

Security minister Dan Jarvis on Tuesday called the arrests “some of the largest counterterrorism actions that we have seen in recent times”.

The Israeli embassy in London did not respond to a request for comment.

This is a developing story