Counter-Terrorism Police Investigate Iranian Regime Link to UK Synagogue Arson Campaign
Counter-terrorism police in the United Kingdom are actively investigating whether the Iranian regime is financing British 'thugs for hire' to carry out arson attacks, following the latest assault on a synagogue in north London. This revelation emerged from senior officers standing on the street where a firebomber struck at midnight on Saturday, marking one of several anti-Jewish incidents in the capital over the past week.
Senior Police Officials Detail Coordinated Investigation
Standing outside the Kenton United Synagogue yesterday, Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans stated: 'Counter Terrorism Policing are leading all of the investigations into these incidents. Similar in nature, they have been arsons targeting Israeli and Jewish linked premises in London.' She added that most attacks have been claimed online by the group Ashab al-Yamin, which has also claimed responsibility for several incidents across Europe in recent months.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Evans further explained: 'I have spoken previously about the Iranian regime's use of criminal proxies – and we are considering whether this tactic is being used here. This is recruiting violence as a service, and the people who conduct that violence often have little or no allegiance to the cause, and are taking quick cash for their crimes.'
Details of the Latest Attack and Online Claims
The latest attack occurred at the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, north-west London, where a specially deployed officer raised the alarm in the early hours. It is understood that officers discovered a smashed window at the front of the synagogue, which is situated between a school and a children's playground at the end of a broad cul-de-sac.
A video later posted online by a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia – the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Righteous – showed a sinister figure throwing a firebomb through the window while another person filmed the act. The video appeared on a Telegram channel associated with Iran's Islamist regime and featured the group's logo of an arm brandishing an assault rifle, along with messages in Arabic, English, and Hebrew.
The English message proclaimed: 'Kenton United Synagogue in London is one of the centers of Zionist influence in the British capital,' and identified the rabbi and female chair of the synagogue as 'key instruments of this Zionist base in London.' Fortunately, the attack caused damage only to the medical room, and police stopped a service to continue investigations, though worshippers attended at a different location in large numbers.
Broader Pattern of Attacks and Community Response
This incident follows a series of similar attacks, including the torching of four Jewish community ambulances in Golders Green four weeks ago, also claimed by Ashab al-Yamin. Last Wednesday, a man and woman were arrested after petrol bombs were thrown at the Finchley Reform Synagogue in north London, and there was an attempted attack on an anti-Iranian regime media company in Wembley.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis condemned the assault on the Kenton United Synagogue as 'a cowardly arson attack,' warning that 'a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum.' Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes called for people from all faiths to speak out against anti-Semitism, describing those carrying out such attacks as playing 'a mug's game' that leads to long prison sentences.
Political and Community Reactions
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressed being 'appalled' by the attacks, stating: 'This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.' Kenton synagogue's Rabbi Yehuda Black, who has served for 22 years, remarked: 'It's a terrible thing – but we shouldn't be detracted from standing up as Jewish, in the face of evil.'
United Synagogue president Saul Taylor, who presides over 60 synagogues across Britain, acknowledged that the Government and local police forces have responded well but emphasized that more must be done to prevent these attacks. He urged the Prime Minister to declare publicly what the Jewish community has known for some time: 'This is an epidemic of anti-Jewish hate.'
In response to the escalating threats, thousands of extra patrols are being mounted across London to enhance security and deter further incidents.
