British police arrested two suspects in connection with an attempted arson attack on a synagogue in north London on April 18, as authorities investigate whether the latest string of attacks targeting Jewish and Israeli sites across the country has been directed by Iran, Reuters reported on Monday.
The suspects, aged 17 and 19, were taken into custody overnight Sunday, police said.
The attempt to burn down Kenton United Synagogue caused minor damage to an internal room. No injuries were reported.
On Sunday, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Matt Jukes and Senior National Co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans delivered a press briefing outside the synagogue in northwestern London.
“Several premises as you know, linked to Britain’s Jewish community and to those who oppose the Iranian regime, have been targeted in recent arson attacks,” Jukes said, referring to an attack on April 16 on a Persian-language media company Volant Media, which is a parent firm of London-based Iran International opposition outlet.
“We are seeing a concerted campaign against Londoners, and specifically, against British Jews,” he continued.
“This should not be anyone’s reality. … we are out on the streets, seen and unseen, and we are making arrests. We are going to continue our work—and indeed one of the latest incidents last night was found quickly by local officers who had been deployed to patrol Jewish places of worship and businesses.”
Evans said that while many of the arson attacks have been claimed online by the group Ashab al-Yamin (“Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right”), “individuals carrying out these crimes often have no allegiance to the cause and are taking quick cash for their crimes.”
She warned that for those considering carrying out such tasks for cash, “the stakes are high, and it is absolutely not worth the risk for a small reward.”
Evans continued, “When we identify you, we will seek to prosecute you, this will include considering offenses under the National Security Act which comes with a significant sentence and lifetime restrictions.”
📹 | Watch an update from Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes and the Senior National Co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, following a series of arson attacks in north west London. pic.twitter.com/sdJo2oMp4R
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) April 19, 2026
British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis called Saturday’s attack part of “A sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the U.K.” that is “gathering momentum” and “an attack on the values that bind us all together,” in addition to being a “sustained attack on our community’s ability to worship and live in safety.
“It follows the attack in Finchley on Wednesday and the attempted attack on what was the Jewish Futures building in Hendon on Friday night, making three Jewish sites attacked in London in less than a week,” Mirvis noted.
