Kensington Gardens shut as hazmat officers probe items near Israeli embassy after HAYI posts drone video

British police launched a counter-terrorism investigation on Friday, 17 April 2026, into a security incident near the Embassy of Israel in London’s Kensington district, after officers discovered a number of discarded items in Kensington Gardens and a group with reported links to Iran published a video online claiming to have targeted the embassy with drones carrying dangerous substances.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers wearing protective clothing were deployed to Kensington Gardens to assess the discarded items. A van belonging to the Metropolitan Police’s chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear unit, known as the CBRN team, was observed near the bandstand inside the park. A fire investigation unit from the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service’s hazardous area response team were also present at the scene, reflecting the multi-agency response protocol standard to potential CBRN incidents in the United Kingdom.

The entirety of Kensington Gardens was cordoned off and closed to public access on Friday morning. Signs placed at the park’s gates carried the notice: “Hazardous conditions – do not enter.” A witness present in the park at the time of the closure said they were directed to leave through the main gate opposite the Hilton hotel and told police had closed the park. Hyde Park, the adjacent royal park, remained open.

In an official statement, the Metropolitan Police said Counter Terrorism Policing London was aware of a video shared online overnight in which a group claimed to have targeted the nearby Embassy of Israel with drones carrying dangerous substances. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the embassy had not been attacked and stated that urgent enquiries were underway to determine the authenticity of the video and to identify any potential link between it and the items found in Kensington Gardens. The Metropolitan Police added that it did not believe there was an increased public safety risk at that stage but urged members of the public to avoid the area while officers continued their work.

Kensington Gardens published a notice on social media confirming the park’s closure and asking visitors to avoid the area until further notice. The Embassy of Israel in London issued a statement confirming that all embassy staff were safe and that the embassy had not been attacked. The embassy stated it remained in close and continuous contact with local authorities and described the situation separately as a suspected security incident being investigated in the park adjacent to the embassy.

The video at the centre of the Metropolitan Police’s investigation was shared online overnight and depicted two individuals in white hazmat-style suits releasing drones. The video, attributed to a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, claimed the drones carried radioactive and dangerous carcinogenic material. The video warned the public to stay 900 metres from the area and described the alleged operation as entering its second phase, implying continuation of prior claimed activity. Both the Metropolitan Police and the Embassy of Israel confirmed that no attack on the embassy had taken place.

What is Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia and what attacks has the group claimed in the United Kingdom and Europe in 2026?

Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, whose name translates from Arabic as the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Righteous and which is widely referred to by the acronym HAYI, is a group that emerged publicly in March 2026 following the outbreak of the 2026 Iran war. The group distributes videos through Telegram channels associated with the Axis of Resistance network of Iran-aligned organisations. Israeli officials have characterised HAYI as a recently established Iranian proxy. European authorities and independent counterterrorism analysts have assessed the group’s nature with greater caution, noting inconsistencies in its materials that raise questions about whether it represents an organised entity or a claimed identity used to attribute attacks carried out through other means.

Analysts at the International Center for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague, who are cited in reporting by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, have pointed to errors in Arabic spellings in HAYI’s logo and videos, the presence of Soviet-era imagery atypical of Iran-backed proxy communications, and the total absence of Persian language in the group’s materials. The Wall Street Journal has reported that European authorities suspect HAYI may be a fictitious construct used to claim credit for attacks organised through covert Iranian channels, a pattern analysts have compared to documented Russian hybrid warfare tactics involving online recruitment for sabotage operations across Europe.

HAYI’s Telegram channel existed for approximately two years before becoming active in March 2026. In the United Kingdom, the group claimed responsibility for the arson destruction of four Hatzola ambulances in the Golders Green area of north London on 23 March 2026. The Metropolitan Police treated that incident as an antisemitic hate crime, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly described it as a shocking antisemitic hate crime. Two British nationals aged 45 and 47 were detained the following day on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and subsequently released on bail. HAYI also claimed an attempted arson outside the offices of a Persian-language media organisation in Park Royal, London, and a petrol bomb attack on Finchley Reform Synagogue in north London. Counter Terrorism Policing in the United Kingdom opened investigations into those two London incidents on 15 April 2026.

In continental Europe, HAYI claimed an explosion outside a synagogue in Liege, Belgium on 9 March 2026, an arson at a synagogue in Rotterdam, Netherlands on 13 March 2026, an improvised explosive device detonated at the Atrium office complex in Amsterdam’s Zuidas business district targeting a branch of the Bank of New York Mellon on 16 March 2026, and a foiled attack targeting a Bank of America branch in Paris, France. No fatalities or serious injuries were reported in connection with any of the claimed incidents. All confirmed arrests across the incidents involved teenagers or young adults.

Why does the location of the Kensington Gardens security incident matter for United Kingdom diplomatic and public security?

Kensington Gardens is a royal park within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in central London, situated adjacent to Kensington Palace, a working royal residence. The Embassy of Israel in London is located on Palace Green, which directly borders the park. The placement of the alleged drone operation and the discarded items in this location put the claimed incident in direct proximity to both a foreign diplomatic mission and a site of significance to the British royal household.

The multi-agency response on Friday, involving the Metropolitan Police’s CBRN unit, the London Fire Brigade, and the London Ambulance Service’s hazardous area response team, reflects established United Kingdom protocols for potential incidents involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear materials in sensitive public locations. Europol, the European Union’s central criminal intelligence agency, has separately assessed that there is a rising risk of small-scale, opportunistic attacks across Europe and has identified early detection of such plots, including those by lone actors, as a key operational priority.

What are the key takeaways from the Metropolitan Police investigation into the security incident near the Embassy of Israel in Kensington Gardens on 17 April 2026?

• The Metropolitan Police deployed officers in protective clothing and activated its chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear unit to assess discarded items found in Kensington Gardens near the Embassy of Israel in London on 17 April 2026, closing the park entirely to the public.
• Counter Terrorism Policing London is investigating a video published online by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, a group with reported links to Iran, which claimed drones carrying radioactive and carcinogenic materials had been deployed toward the embassy; both the Metropolitan Police and the Embassy of Israel confirmed no attack on the embassy took place.
• HAYI has claimed responsibility for a series of incidents in the United Kingdom since March 2026, including the arson of four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green, an attempted arson targeting a Persian-language media organisation in Park Royal, and a petrol bomb attack on Finchley Reform Synagogue; counter-terrorism police in the United Kingdom opened investigations into the latter two incidents on 15 April 2026.
• European and independent counterterrorism analysts, including researchers at the International Center for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague, have assessed HAYI as a potentially fictitious or facade organisation, citing inconsistencies in its materials and comparisons with documented Russian hybrid warfare recruitment models; European authorities including Europol have noted a rising risk of small-scale, opportunistic attacks across Europe.
• The Embassy of Israel confirmed all staff were safe and stated it remained in continuous contact with United Kingdom authorities; the Metropolitan Police stated it did not believe there was an increased public safety risk at that stage while urging the public to avoid Kensington Gardens during the ongoing investigation.