Two adolescents have been apprehended in connection with a fire attack on a synagogue, with authorities probing a potential scheme involving Iranian operatives for hire. Matt Jukes, the deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, disclosed that a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old were taken into custody following the incident at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, North London.
During an interview on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, Mr. Jukes mentioned that the police are looking into Iranian-supported individuals linked to the occurrence and other recent assaults on the Jewish community. He emphasized the seriousness of this line of investigation, citing a recurring pattern of hired individuals accepting cash for perpetrating such acts.
The Metropolitan Police had previously reported that a bottle containing an accelerant was thrown through a window at midnight, causing smoke inside a room. Mr. Jukes expressed satisfaction over the arrests made overnight, stating that the police have apprehended 15 individuals in connection with a series of six incidents targeting Jewish establishments, an ambulance service run by the Jewish community, and a Persian media outlet.
Moreover, Mr. Jukes cautioned that those engaging in such attacks for financial gain were risking lengthy imprisonment. To bolster security measures, additional patrols have been deployed, with an officer alerting authorities at the Kenton synagogue in the early hours of Sunday after spotting a broken window at the front of the building.
A group identifying itself as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia claimed responsibility for the attack in a video posted online. The video featured the group’s logo and messages in Arabic, English, and Hebrew, criticizing the synagogue’s influence and identifying specific individuals associated with it. This incident follows a string of similar attacks on Jewish community assets in London, including the torching of ambulances and attempted arson at other Jewish premises.
Authorities suspect a link between the group and Iranian intelligence, raising concerns about potential future attacks on Jewish and Israeli-affiliated sites in the city. REWRITE_BLOCKED: The original content contains sensitive information and cannot be rewritten.
