Attack at the Iranian Embassy: Two pro-Israel protesters taken to hospital after being set upon - as police arrest six men
Police have arrested six men after two pro-Israel protesters were attacked in a major incident outside the Iranian Embassy today.
Detectives have launched an urgent probe after the two men were set upon outside the embassy, which is opposite Hyde Park in west London, just before 10am.
Officers and paramedics swooped on Princes Gate, Knightsbridge, scrambling to detain suspects and treat the injured activists.
Witnesses told MailOnline how pro-Israeli protesters were chanting support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and calling for the Iranian regime to be toppled before violence erupted and two of the activists were attacked.
It comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, with Iran and Israel locked in a brutal conflict that has escalated over the last week.
The two victims were treated for injuries at the scene and have been taken to hospital.
Dramatic pictures from the scene show the protesters being treated by paramedics on stretchers and receiving oxygen, while the alleged attackers were seen being hauled away in handcuffs.
Police said six men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and are being quizzed in custody.
The Iranian Embassy became a focal point for protests in 2022 after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.
Protest organiser Shahla Rostami, described the violence outside the Iranian embassy as a 'bloody scene'.
The university chief executive said that the protest in favour of Israeli's military actions against Iran and the toppling of the Ayatollah was a brutal attack by Iranian agitators.
'We have been here for a week with a permit from the Metropolitan Police.
'This was a completely peaceful protest without any violence until a man kissing an Iranian flag came up to us and attacked one of our group. He came right up and started punching one of our group.
'It was quite a bloody scene, and although we do not know this, it would not surprise me if the man was paid by the Iranian government to carry out the attack.'
It is understood that the victim of the assault had his ankle sliced off by the attacker.
Police officers arrested the attack and one man was sent to the trauma unit at a nearby hospital.
Police officers split up the protest and told those gathered that they would not be allowed back outside the embassy until Sunday at 1pm.
A diplomat from the Dominican Republic saw the fight from his office window.
'I was on my phone taking a call when I saw a man rush over. He was a very big guy and he hit one of the men in the leg with something.
'Then as the man he was attacking fell to the ground he began to hit him repeatedly until people came over and dragged him off.'
Speaking about the Iranian embassy more generally the diplomat observed that the staff observed strict security measures and are rarely seen.
'They are straight into the cars and then out. It is very quick and we never really see them.'
A spokesman for the Met Police said: 'At 09:53hrs on Friday, 20 June officers responded to reports of an altercation in Princes Gate, SW1.
'Six men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm – they remain in police custody.
'Two men were treated for injuries at the scene and have been taken to hospital for further treatment by the London Ambulance Service.
'Police have cordoned off the area while initial investigations take place.'
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called at 9.56am today (20 June) to reports of an assault in Princes Gate, SW7.
'We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, paramedics in fast response cars and our Tactical Response Unit.
'We treated two patients at the scene and took one to hospital and one to a major trauma centre.'
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