Spate of arson attacks against Jewish sites ‘may be work of Iranian proxies’

Police warned about ‘thugs for hire’ commiting criminal acts on behalf of others (Picture: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images)

Counter-terror police are looking into whether a spate of arson attacks targetting the Jewish community in London have been carried out by Iranian proxies.

Officers said that the group Ashab al-Yamin have claimed responsibility for most of these attacks and may be linked to Iran.

The Met Police also warned about ‘thugs for hire’ who ‘commit criminal acts and intimidation on behalf of others’.

Ashab al-Yamin,the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right,appeared claimed responsibility for the firebomb attack at Kention United Synagogue last night.

London’s Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Matt Jukes (C),deputy assistant commissioner Vicki Evans (L) and Mathew Walker (R),deputy commissioner and operational director for preparedness and response for the London Fire Brigade (Picture: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images)

Met Police deputy assistant commissioner Vicki Evans said: ‘We are aware of public reporting that suggests this group may have links to Iran.

‘As you would expect,we will continue to explore that question as our investigation evolves. 

‘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.’

Evans said that the arson attacks carried out across north London are ‘similar in nature’.

The Met officials added they were investigating whether the tactic of ‘recruiting violence as a service’ has been used in these firebombings.

Evans warned: ‘The people who conduct that violence often have little or no allegiance to the cause and are taking quick cash for their crimes.

‘To anyone even considering getting involved in that type of activity,my message to you is this,ask yourself is the risk really worth the reward? The stakes are high. I would suggest it’s not.’

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Police officers patrol at a cordon near to an incident at the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow,north-west London (Picture: Jamie Lashmar/PA Wire)

Met Police deputy commissioner Matt Jukes spoke to reports next,saying Londoners were facing ‘a concerted campaign’ of violence.

He also warned ‘thugs for hire’ would face the full extent of the law.

The senior officer added: ‘To those who are at all tempted,let me tell you again: it is a mug’s game.’

The update came after police and fire crews responded to an attempted firebombing at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow overnight.

Officers spotted smoke inside a room and discovered ‘a bottle with some sort of accelerant’ that had been thrown through the window.

There was minor internal smoke damage,but there were no injuries or significant damage,the Community Security Trust (CST) said.

Kenton United Synagogue’s rabbi said their medical room was ‘badly damaged’ in the firebombing.

The president of the charity behind the synagogue called on the prime minister to declare an ‘epidemic of anti-Jewish hate’ following a spate of other incidents targeting the Jewish community.

There was an arson attack on a Jewish business in Hendon on Saturday,a few days after a synagogue in Finchley,north London,was struck by petrol bombs.

In March,there was an arson attack on the Jewish charity-owned Haztola ambulances in Golders Green,in which three people have since been charged with.

The attempted arson attack caused minor smoke damage to an internal room but no injuries or significant structural damage (Picture: Jamie Lashmar/PA Wire)

Saul Taylor,of the charity behind the Kenton United Synagogue,said: ‘The government and local police forces have responded well to the recent appalling attacks including Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation and Hatzola ambulances,but it is clear that more must be done to prevent these attacks occurring at all.

‘The prime minister should declare publicly what the Jewish community has known for some time: this is an epidemic of anti-Jewish hate.’

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis warned that a ‘sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum’.

He said: ‘This sustained attack on our community’s ability to worship and live in safety is an attack on the values that bind us all together.

‘Thank God,no lives have been lost,but we cannot,and must not,wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society.’

A spokesperson for the CST said: ‘We want to thank the Met Police and London Fire Brigade for responding quickly and for all they are doing to protect the Jewish community during this unprecedented period.

‘We are supporting the affected location and are working closely with the police as they investigate and seek to identify those responsible.

‘We urge people to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity,at any time of day or night,to the police immediately on 999 and then to CST.’

The Chief Rabbi warned of a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community (Picture: Jamie Lashmar/PA Wire)

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the Met have increased the police presence in the area.

He added: ‘There is no place for anti-semitism in our city,and the perpetrators of these despicable attacks will face the full force of the law. London will always stand united against those seeking to divide us.’

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: ‘A synagogue in London was firebombed last night in what is now terrifyingly becoming a spate of daily arson attacks on the Jewish community.

‘It betrays a cataclysmic failure of the state – politicians,police chiefs and prosecutors – to tackle antisemitic extremism in this country,which has gone largely unchecked for two and a half years. Britain is fundamentally a different country now.’

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