Counter terror police investigate 'Iran link' to attempted 'firebomb' attack at London synagogue

Counter terror police are investigating whether "Iranian proxies" are behind a string of arson attacks in London.

Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Matt Jukes said Britain's Jewish community is facing "a concerted campaign" after the latest incidents, including an attempted 'firebomb' attack at a synagogue in northwest London on Saturday night.

He said bins were targeted outside a communal block on the same evening following an attack on a building previously used by a Jewish charity in Hendon, northwest London, on Friday by a man who lit a plastic bag at the entrance before fleeing.

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Met deputy assistant commissioner Vicki Evans said most of the recent incidents have been claimed online by the Ashab al-Yamin group, which has been publicly linked to Iran.

The group have also claimed similar attacks on Jewish communities across Europe in recent months.

Ms Evans said: "I've spoken previously about the Iranian regime's use of criminal proxies, and we're considering whether this tactic is being used here in London - recruiting violence as a service.

"Individuals carrying out these crimes often have no allegiance to the cause and are taking quick cash for their crimes."

"To anyone even considering getting involved - my message to you would be this - the stakes are high - and it is absolutely not worth the risk for a small reward."

She warned anyone caught for their involvement in the crimes will be prosecuted, including for offences under the National Security Act.

Mr Jukes said "thugs for hire who commit criminal acts and intimidation on behalf of others" would face long prison sentences in a press conference outside the Kenton United Synagogue, in Harrow.

Officers on patrols in the wake of the previous incidents spotted damage to a window at around midnight and saw smoke inside a room as well as evidence that a "bottle with some sort of accelerant had been thrown".

The force said the incident is being treated as arson.

The synagogue is close to a school and a children's playground. By Sunday morning, the area was under a large police cordon, with forensics officers, fire investigation dogs and plainclothes officers at the scene.

A Campaign Against Antisemitism spokesperson said: "Last night, another Jewish synagogue in London was firebombed, this time in Kenton. Thankfully, the damage was limited."

A spokesperson for the Community Security Trust (CST) said the attack caused "minor smoke damage to an internal room, but there were no injuries and no significant structural damage".

The UK's Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis has called the attack "cowardly" and said "a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum".

It comes a day after an arson attack on a building that used to house a Jewish charity elsewhere in northwest London, which is also being investigated as an antisemitic hate crime.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the Metropolitan Police have "stepped up resources" in the area.

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"There is no place for antisemitism in our city, and the perpetrators of these despicable attacks will face the full force of the law," he wrote in a post on X. "London will always stand united against those seeking to divide us."

Sir Keir Starmer said he was "appalled by recent attempted antisemitic arson attacks in North London" in a social media post.

"This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated," the prime minister said. "Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain."

A building that used to belong to a Jewish charity in Hendon, northwest London, was attacked on Friday by a man who lit a plastic bag at the entrance before fleeing.

While Jewish Futures no longer uses the site, the signage still bears its name.

Police are also treating that attack as an antisemitic hate crime and no arrests have been made.

On Friday, suspicious items - including two jars containing powder - were found near the Israeli embassy in west London.

Police said the embassy was not attacked but officers are still investigating whether the items are connected to a video posted by an Iran-linked Islamist group, which claimed to have targeted the building with drones carrying dangerous substances.

The incidents followed a spate of other attacks in recent weeks. Last month, four ambulances run by a Jewish charity were burned down in Golders Green, north London, leading to four arrests.

Two people were also arrested this week after bottles of petrol were thrown at a synagogue in Finchley, northwest London.

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