Two adolescents have been apprehended in connection with setting fire to a synagogue, as authorities delve into a potential scheme involving Iranian mercenaries.
Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Matt Jukes, disclosed that a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old were taken into custody following the incident at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, North London, over the recent weekend.
During an interview on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, Mr. Jukes mentioned that law enforcement is probing potential ties to Iranian-supported groups in connection with the synagogue attack and other recent assaults on the Jewish community.
He emphasized the seriousness of the investigation into these events, citing a recurring pattern involving hired individuals motivated by financial gain. Mr. Jukes referenced past cases, such as Dylan Earl’s incarceration for his involvement with the Wagner group, which he connected to Russian interests, underscoring the complexities of modern proxy conflicts.
Previous statements from a Metropolitan Police spokesperson highlighted the use of an accelerant in a bottle thrown through a window at midnight on Sunday, resulting in visible smoke within a room.
Mr. Jukes expressed satisfaction with the arrests made overnight in connection with the synagogue incident, adding to the tally of 15 apprehensions made in recent weeks linked to a series of attacks targeting Jewish establishments, an ambulance service run by the Jewish community, and a Persian media outlet.
Furthermore, Mr. Jukes cautioned that those engaging in such attacks for monetary gains were embarking on a risky path that often leads to lengthy prison sentences.
Additional security measures have been implemented, with increased patrols and swift responses, including an alert raised by a deployed officer at the Kenton synagogue in the early hours of Sunday.
A shattered window at the front of the synagogue was observed, located between a school and a children’s playground at the end of a wide cul-de-sac.
A video claiming responsibility for the attack surfaced online, attributed to a group named Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia – the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Righteous, previously unknown until a month ago. Authorities suspect a potential connection to Iranian intelligence based on the group’s activities.
The video featured the group’s logo displaying an arm holding an assault rifle, accompanied by messages in Arabic, English, and Hebrew, with English text denouncing Kenton United Synagogue as a hub of Zionist influence in London.
This incident follows the torching of four Jewish community ambulances in Golders Green, north-west London, a month ago, also claimed by Ashab al-Yamin in a video circulated through Telegram.
Recent arrests were made after petrol bombs were thrown at the Finchley Reform Synagogue in north London, and an attempted attack on an anti-Iranian regime media organization in Wembley was thwarted.
Concerns of potential assaults on London’s Israeli embassy arose as the weekend approached, with an unsuccessful arson attempt on a Jewish-affiliated building in Hendon, north-west London, occurring on Saturday.