Two arrested after attempted arson attack on London synagogue

British police have arrested two individuals over an attempted arson attack on a synagogue in north London, amid an ongoing counter-terrorism investigation into a series of incidents targeting Jewish sites and possible links to Iran, Reuters reports.

A 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man were detained overnight in connection with the incident at Kenton United Synagogue, which occurred early on April 19 morning, police said. The fire resulted in “minor smoke damage to an internal room” and no injuries were reported.

The attempted attack is the latest in a series of arson incidents targeting Jewish locations across the British capital in recent weeks. On April 17 night, police reported another attempted arson attack on a business premises linked to the Jewish community. Earlier in the week, two suspects were also arrested over an attempted arson attack at another synagogue in London.

Last month, several ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency service Hatzola were set alight near a synagogue in the Golders Green area of north London.

Police also briefly cordoned off an area near the Israeli embassy in London over the weekend following “an online report that it had been targeted with drones carrying ‘dangerous substances’.” Officers later confirmed that items recovered did not contain any harmful or hazardous materials.

Authorities say attacks on Jewish people and Jewish sites in the United Kingdom have increased since the October 2023 Hamas assault on Israel, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, according to police and community groups.

British security officials have previously warned that Iran has sought to use criminal proxies to carry out hostile activity in the UK.

By Vafa Guliyeva