Foreign State May Be Behind London Jewish Site Attacks, Warns Senior Police Chief
Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes has issued a stark warning that a recent spate of attacks on Jewish sites in London raises the "troubling" prospect of a foreign state using hate crime to sow discord and create anxiety within the United Kingdom. The senior officer described the series of incidents as an "extraordinary period" designed to intimidate the Jewish community.
Investigations Focus on Potential Iranian Involvement
Investigators are actively working to establish whether Iran has paid British criminals to carry out acts on UK soil. The incidents under scrutiny include an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances, attempted arson attacks at synagogues in Finchley and Kenton, and an attack on a former Jewish charity in Hendon. Additional incidents involve a drone flown near the Israeli embassy in London and a petrol bomb thrown towards the site of Volant Media, the parent company of Persian news channel Iran International.
A group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, also known as the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, which is suspected to be Iran-backed, has claimed responsibility for most of these incidents along with other attacks in Europe since March 9. Deputy Commissioner Jukes told LBC that authorities are looking "incredibly closely" at whether these claims are substantiated, emphasizing the need to distinguish between online propaganda and provable facts.
"Thugs for Hire" Risking Long Prison Sentences
Mr Jukes highlighted the danger of "thugs for hire" who risk long prison sentences for inconsequential amounts of money by agreeing to carry out crimes for foreign states. He cited the example of Dylan Earl, who was jailed for 17 years in 2024 after agreeing to conduct an arson attack in Leyton, east London, for the Russian-backed Wagner group.
So far, 15 people have been arrested in connection with the six incidents in London since March 23. The most recent attack occurred at Kenton United Synagogue, where a petrol bomb was thrown through a window around midnight on Sunday, landing in a medical room. The Jewish charity the Community Security Trust reported minor smoke damage but no injuries or significant structural damage. Mr Jukes confirmed that a 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man have been arrested in connection with this incident.
Community and Political Leaders Condemn Attacks
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis described the arson attack as "cowardly" and warned that "a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum." In a statement shared on social media, he asserted that this attack on the community's ability to worship and live safely is an attack on the values that bind society together.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressed being "appalled by recent attempted antisemitic arson attacks in north London," stating in his own social media post that such actions are "abhorrent and will not be tolerated." He emphasized that attacks on the Jewish community are attacks on Britain itself, underscoring the national significance of these events.
Video footage, which appears to have been published online by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, shows an individual in dark clothing lighting an item and throwing it at the Kenton United Synagogue before fleeing, filmed by another person behind the building's metal fence. This visual evidence adds to the gravity of the situation as authorities continue their investigations into these coordinated and alarming acts of hate.
