Four Iranian men arrested on suspicion of preparing for a terrorist attack in London could be detained and interrogated, police said on Saturday.

Five men were arrested with armed police last week, with at least one special forces soldier sent to custody, reportedly the target was the Israeli embassy in Kensington.

The arrested men included a 29-year-old man from Swinton, Wiltshire, a 46-year-old man from West London, a 29-year-old from Stockport, Greater Manchester, a 40-year-old man from Rochdale, and a 24-year-old from Manchester.

Metropolitan police said the suspect, all Iranian nationals, was arrested on May 3 for suspected preparations for terrorist acts.

The force added that four men detained under the Terrorism Act could be held on May 17 until the warrant for further detention was approved on Saturday.

The fifth suspect was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and was released on conditional bail in May.

According to reports from the Times and other press, the Israeli embassy in London is understood to be the target of the so-called conspiracy, but the police refused to share further details.

CMDR Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Counter-Terrorism Command, said: “Our officials and staff continue to conduct significant and highly complex investigations.

“At the forefront of the efforts we are doing, we are working hard.

“I would like to ask people not to speculate or share information that has not been confirmed by the Counter-Terrorism Police.

“We have clear and critical reasons that we do not provide more details at the moment.

“As soon as possible, we will seek to share more information with the public.”

Murphy said the Metropolitan Metropolis is working closely with local police forces as searches were conducted in many locations in Greater Manchester, London and Swindon areas.

He added: “As usual, I would ask the public to be alert and if they see or hear anything that pays attention to them, then contact us.”

In another counter-terrorism investigation conducted in the metropolitan metropolis, three Iranian men were arrested in North London last weekend under the National Security Act.

Another Iranian man suspected of "foreign power threatening activities" was arrested in North London on Friday as part of the same investigation.