Metropolitan Police have announced the arrest of a 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man in connection with an arson attack targeting a synagogue in north-west London.
According to authorities, a bottle containing an accelerant was thrown through a window of the Kenton United Synagogue on Shaftesbury Avenue, Harrow, around midnight on Sunday. The incident resulted in minor damage to the building; no injuries were reported.
Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes of the Metropolitan Police informed the BBC on Monday that a total of 15 arrests have been made in connection with six incidents targeting premises with Jewish connections across London in recent weeks. These incidents include arson attacks on four Jewish ambulances in Golders Green and a synagogue in Finchley, north London.
During an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Jukes confirmed that the Met is investigating potential links to proxies, which he indicated could be connected to Iran, in relation to the recent incidents. He described this as ‘a very serious line of inquiry’ regarding these events, noting a pattern of ‘people taking cash, as it looks like quick and easy money.’
Most of the attacks appear to have been claimed online by a group identified as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, also known as the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, which has recently claimed responsibility for incidents across Europe. The Metropolitan Police had previously stated they were investigating the authenticity of these claims and the group’s potential links to the incidents.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis characterized the arson attack as ‘cowardly’ and expressed concern that ‘a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum.’ In a statement shared on X, he further commented: ‘This sustained attack on our community’s ability to worship and live in safety is an attack on the values that bind us all together.’
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