Prosecutors in London charged a 17-year-old British citizen in connection with a fire he allegedly caused outside a synagogue on Saturday night, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday.
The suspect, whom the police called a “boy” and who is from the London borough of Brent, is accused of non-life-threatening arson and is due to appear in court on Tuesday, the police department stated.
Police officers also arrested a 19-year-old on Sunday night in connection with the incident. He was released on bail, the department said.
The fire at Kenton United Synagogue caused minor damage to a room, and no injuries were reported.
Matt Jukes, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said at a press briefing outside the synagogue in northwestern London on Sunday that “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, who spoke alongside Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for counter terrorism policing, referred to an April 16 attack on a Persian-language media company Volant Media, which is a parent firm of London-based Iran International, an opposition outlet.
“We are seeing a concerted campaign against Londoners and specifically against British Jews,” Jukes said.
