LONDON, April 19 (Reuters) – A synagogue in north London has become the latest Jewish target in a spate of arson incidents in the British capital in recent weeks, a charity which provides security to Britain’s Jewish community said on Sunday.
“We are aware of another attempted arson, this time targeting a synagogue in north London, following similar recent incidents targeting the Jewish community in Finchley, Golders Green and Hendon,” the Community Security Trust said in a statement.
“On this occasion there was minor smoke damage to an internal room, but there were no injuries and no significant structural damage.”
There was no immediate comment from London’s police about the incident at Kenton United Synagogue.
AREA CORDONED OFF AROUND ISRAELI EMBASSY
On Friday night, there was an attempted arson attack on a business premises with links to the Jewish community, while a few days earlier police arrested two suspects over an attempted arson attack on another synagogue in the capital.
Meanwhile an area around the Israeli embassy in London was cordoned off following an online report that it had been targeted with drones carrying “dangerous substances”. Police later said items they found did not contain any harmful or hazardous substances.
Last month, several ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency service Hatzola, which were parked near a synagogue in Golders Green, were torched.
“Last night yet another synagogue, this time in Kenton, was targeted in a cowardly arson attack,” Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said on X. “A sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum.”
PRO-IRANIAN GROUP CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY
Pro-Iranian group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, or Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand of Islam, has claimed responsibility for most of these incidents, posting on social media that it was behind the Kenton arson, along with a video purporting to show the attack.
The group has also said it was responsible for a spate of attacks across Europe on U.S., Israeli and Jewish targets.
Police said on Saturday they had boosted their presence in the area, including the deployment of armed response vehicles and resources from the counter-terrorism division.
“We recognise the feeling of concern among local people and do not underestimate the impact of incidents of this nature – particularly our Jewish communities,” Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who leads policing in the area, said in a statement.
“We continue to work with our colleagues from Counter Terrorism Policing who are leading the investigations into all of these incidents due to the similar circumstances and online claims of responsibility.”
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by David Holmes)
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