UK government confirms Iran is ‘mapping’ British Jews in preparation for attacks

The UK government has now confirmed reports from last week that the Iranian regime is planning to attack Jews and Israelis in the UK if Israel carries out a military attack on Iran.

This is a deeply troubling story. We have long spoken about the dangers of the Iranian regime in regards to Israel and to Western security, including threats to UK citizens, however, we hoped they would stoop to planning on carrying out targeted attacks on British civilians in this manner. This should be a wake up call to the British government regarding how it deals with Iran.

Last week the Jewish Chronicle broke the story that Iran was mapping out the locations of Jews in the UK, as well as Israelis and Iranian anti-regime activists who live in the UK, after covering the storage of a Jewish woman who infiltrated the Iranian regime.

Shockingly, the UK government has now confirmed to the newspaper that the reports are true and that the Iranian regime is paying criminals in the UK to spy for them.

The UK’s Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, who is responsible for MI5, said: “You were right. We have very clear intelligence about the activities of hostile regimes in the UK and we keep a very close eye on what their agents and those close to them are doing.

“We know that the Iranians are using non-traditional sources to carry out these operations, including organised criminal gangs.

“They are paying criminal gangs to conduct surveillance.

“Basically, the Iranians are using crooks based in Britain to spy for them.”

He added: “You can be very clear that I wouldn’t have mentioned Jewish and Israeli targets unless I had good reason to do so.

“I take all threats against anyone in the UK very seriously and the reason I highlighted Israelis and the Jewish community is that we have been seeing threats and Iranian operational activity directed against them. I do not issue these warnings lightly,” said Tugendhat.

The Security Minister also confirmed that the UK was not the only target. “We can connect this to the threat of lethal operations, and this is one of the things I have been discussing in conversations with the French, the Germans, the Americans and others,” Tugendhat said.

The interview with Tugendhat came after he spoke in the House of Commons earlier in the week. A video of which can be seen here:

The Iranian regime is trying to silence their own people.

They will not succeed.

To courageous journalists working here in the UK, I say that this country and this Government stands with you against the oppression you face.

به بریتانیا خوش آمدید ما شما را امن نگه خواهیم داشت pic.twitter.com/qWvjShvUas

— Tom Tugendhat (@TomTugendhat) February 20, 2023

Last week, the threat from Iran was raised by a Jewish woman who had gone undercover to Tehran and met key figures within the Iranian regime. French-born Catherine Perez-Shakdam, who lives in the UK, told the Jewish Chronicle how she was told of the plan to map high-profile Jews to “make the diaspora pay a price” for any Israeli attack.

“The idea was to identify all the prominent NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations) run by Jews, who was doing what in each business sector, the important rabbis,” Perez-Shakdam, 41, said.

“They wanted to figure out their influence and where they lived with their families in order to target them.

“They wanted to have a better understanding so they would know how to strike and where, so that if Israel ever dared to attack Iran, the diaspora would have a very nasty surprise,” she said.

Catherine Pere-Shakdam said that Iran’s leadership is only scared of one thing, that is an Israeli attack upon them. They know that Israel is currently a superior military force. Iranian leaders will do everything possible to protect themselves and their interests, including terrorism against Jews in the UK, Europe and America.

We must pray for the protection of the Jewish community in the UK. The tyrants of Tehran have no right in threatening innocent civilians, and their targeting of the Jewish people in this manner highlights their antisemitism. Likewise, this news is going to impact and frighten a number of British people who may feel they are being targeted. We must pray for protection over our land, over the Jewish community of Britain and for all those who stand up for Israel and against the Iranian regime. We pray that the British security forces will be able to stop any plans of the enemy and that the people of Britain and Israel will be protected from all acts of Iranian terror. May God protect His people.