Counter-terrorism police are investigating an attempted firebomb attack on a synagogue in northwest London, marking the second antisemitic arson incident in as many days and raising concerns over the safety of Jewish community in the capital.
Officers on patrol discovered damage to a window at the Kenton United Synagogue shortly after midnight on Sunday, April 19th. Upon closer inspection, they found smoke inside and evidence that a bottle containing an accelerant had been thrown into the building. Police said the incident is being treated as arson and classified as an antisemitic hate crime.
Authorities confirmed that the damage was limited, with no injuries reported. Security groups said the fire caused only minor smoke damage to an internal room and no structural harm.
The attack follows a similar incident a day earlier in nearby Hendon, where a man set fire to a bag containing bottles of flammable liquid outside a building previously used by a Jewish organisation. That device also failed to fully ignite, and the suspect fled. Helen Flanagan of the London Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism unit stated that the investigation is being led by specialist officers—due to similarities with other recent incidents, although any direct link has yet to be established.
The incident comes after two people were arrested in connection with a separate arson attack on a synagogue in Finchley earlier this week. Fortunately, the Molotov cocktails failed to ignite, but the Met has officially classified the incident as an antisemitic hate crime.
In March, four ambulances serving the Jewish community were set on fire in Golders Green. Gas canisters inside the ambulances exploded during the fire, but no injuries were reported among the public or emergency responders. Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution. Separately, the Archway, North London branch of Gail’s was vandalised twice, largely because the bakery had a Jewish founder in the early 1990s prior to several changes of corporate ownership.
A little-known group, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), has claimed responsibility for several recent attacks, according to SITE Intelligence Group. The group is reported to have previously claimed similar incidents in Belgium and the Netherlands.London’s mayor Sadiq Khan commented on the recent events, saying “there is no place for antisemitism” in the capital, yet the problem itself continues to spiral out of control.
