Three arrested after arson attack on London-based Iran International

London, April 16, 2026—Three men have been arrested following an arson attack on the London premises of Iran International, a Persian-language broadcaster whose journalists regularly face threats and intimidation from the Iranian regime. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on U.K. authorities to fully investigate this latest attack and put additional protection in place for exiled Iranian journalists.

Iran International said a suspicious vehicle was denied entry to its site at around 8:15 p.m. on April 15. Shortly afterward, incendiary devices were thrown into a parking lot just meters from the broadcaster’s studios. According to police, the suspects left the area in a black SUV and, after a police chase ended in a crash, three men — aged 16, 19, and 21 — were arrested on suspicion of arson and endangering life, and taken into police custody. No damage was reported.

“It is very alarming to hear of this brazen attack on Iran International, whose journalists are already facing extreme levels of threats and harassment as a result of their work,” said Fiona O’Brien, CPJ’s director for Europe and Central Asia. “While it remains to be seen who was behind this latest attack, it is clear that exiled Iranian journalists are currently at heightened risk and require extra protection. Journalists must be able to continue reporting safely and freely — and those attempting to intimidate and silence them must be held accountable.”

Iran International’s editorial board said its journalists had experienced a sharp rise in harassment in recent months, as conflict flares across the Middle East. In a statement, the broadcaster said it had been notified of cyberattacks aimed at some of its journalists in Europe and North America, and that 63 of its journalists were included on a list of citizens abroad whose assets have been seized and bank accounts frozen by the Tehran prosecutor’s office. Journalists’ relatives in Iran have also had their homes raided and been questioned, tactics often used by the Iranian authorities to increase pressure on journalists working abroad.

“These actions are part of a wider effort to restrict the free flow of information and deny the Iranian people access to independent news,” the board’s statement said, noting that tens of millions of Iranians rely on foreign-based Persian-language broadcasters for news at a time of sweeping internet shutdowns.

Iranian journalists based in London, many of whom work for either Iran International or BBC Persian, have long been targeted for their work, facing physical and online attacks, sanctions and judicial proceedings, and the harassment of their family members back in Iran. Journalists from Iran International have been the subject of a number of assassination plots, and in 2024 one of the broadcaster’s journalists was stabbed in broad daylight on a London street. While the Iranian government and its proxies are the principal source of threats, in recent years there has also been a rise in harassment from opposition groups and political activists. 

Wednesday’s attack on Iran International is one of three arson attacks in northwest London being investigated by counterterrorism police. Arrests have been made in connection with the other two attacks, the first on volunteer-led ambulances run by the Jewish community on 23 March and another an attack on a synagogue on April 15. None of the incidents have been declared terrorist incidents.