Iran-Linked Group Ashab Al-Yamin Claims Arson Attack on Kenton United Synagogue in London

A suspected arson attack targeted Kenton United Synagogue in north-west London, prompting Britain’s chief rabbi to say attacks on the Jewish community are “gathering momentum.”

“The United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police are investigating whether a recent spate of arson attacks on Jewish sites in North London could be linked to Iranian proxies”

Al Jazeera

The BBC reported that the warning came after Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow was attacked overnight, “the latest in a series of arson attacks on Jewish properties this month,” and said counter-terrorism police were investigating whether the incidents are linked to a group with possible ties to Iran.

Al Jazeera

At a press briefing outside Kenton United Synagogue on Sunday, deputy assistant commissioner Vicki Evans said the incidents were similar in nature and had been claimed online by a group called Ashab al‑Yamin, which had also claimed attacks on Jewish targets across Europe.

The BBC quoted Evans saying, “We are aware of public reporting that suggests this group may have links to Iran - as you would expect we will continue to explore that question as our investigation evolves,” and added, “This is recruiting violence as a service.”

The Met said officers on “deterrence and reassurance patrols” noticed damage to a window overnight, and on further inspection “they saw smoke inside a room and evidence that a bottle with some sort of accelerant had been thrown through the window.”

The BBC reported that “No-one was injured and minor smoke damage was reported,” and said the synagogue was closed following the attack but there were hopes it would reopen in a few days.

The Community Security Trust said it was “supporting the affected location and are working closely with the police as they investigate and seek to identify those responsible,” while United Synagogue president Saul Taylor said, “A synagogue is not just a building, it is a place of worship, community and - theoretically - safety.”

Across reporting, British police framed the Kenton attack as part of a wider investigation into whether Iranian proxies were involved, with multiple outlets quoting Vicki Evans on the investigation’s focus.

The BBC said counter-terrorism police were investigating whether the arson attacks were linked to a group with possible ties to Iran, and Evans told reporters, “We are aware of public reporting that suggests this group may have links to Iran - as you would expect we will continue to explore that question as our investigation evolves.”

Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat

The South China Morning Post similarly said UK police were investigating whether a string of fires at synagogues are the work of Iranian proxies, and it quoted Evans saying, “We are aware of public reporting that suggests this group may have links to Iran. As you would expect, we will continue to explore that question as our investigation evolves,” and also, “I’ve spoken previously about the Iranian regime’s use of criminal proxies, and we’re considering whether this tactic is being used here in London.”

The Independent described the same line of inquiry, saying counterterror police were looking into whether a series of arson attacks against Jewish sites in north London had been carried out by Iranian proxies, and it quoted Evans at the scene: “Most have been claimed online by a group, Ashab al-Yamin, the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right.”

The Economic Times added that counter-terrorism police said they were heading up investigations into the incidents after the Kenton fire, and it quoted Evans saying, “As the conflict in the Middle East continues to evolve, counter-terrorism policing and our partners remain alive to the threat of Iranian hostile activity in the UK.”

The Economic Times also reported that a pro-Iranian government group claimed responsibility, and it quoted Evans again: “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.”

The Al Jazeera report said the Met Police were investigating whether the arson attacks could be linked to Iranian proxies and said Counter Terrorism Policing was leading investigations, with Evans saying police were aware of “public reporting that this group may have links to Iran.”

The arson attack in Kenton triggered immediate political and community responses, with multiple named figures using similar language about intimidation and justice.

The BBC reported that Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis described the latest attack as “cowardly,” and it quoted him writing, “Last night yet another synagogue, this time in Kenton, was targeted in a cowardly arson attack.”

The BBC also quoted Mirvis saying, “A sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum,” and added that “Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC he was appalled and said “visible policing” would be increased, and the BBC quoted him writing, “This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.”

The BBC further reported that London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said, “history shows that we will never back down against terrorists,” and it quoted his statement: “There can never be any justification for attacking our Jewish friends, neighbours and colleagues.”

The Independent echoed Starmer’s condemnation, quoting him as writing that “This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain,” and it said he pledged that “those responsible will be found and brought to justice.”

The BBC included a warning from the Campaign Against Antisemitism, saying it was now “terrifyingly becoming a spate of daily arson attacks on the Jewish community.”

While all outlets described the Kenton synagogue attack and the police investigation, they diverged in what they emphasized about the broader pattern and the evidence being used to connect incidents.

The BBC foregrounded the operational details of the Kenton incident, saying officers on “deterrence and reassurance patrols” saw damage to a window, and that “a bottle with some sort of accelerant had been thrown through the window,” while also stressing the legal consequences, with Evans saying anyone identified could be prosecuted under the National Security Act with “significant sentences and lifetime restrictions.”

CBS News

The Independent, by contrast, emphasized the timeline and the similarity of attacks, saying the Saturday night arson attack came “just 24 hours after a similar incident outside a former charity building in Hendon,” and it quoted Evans describing the incidents as “similar in nature,” targeting “Israeli and Jewish premises within London.”

Al Jazeera focused on the investigative framing and the group’s online claims, saying most attacks have been claimed by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, often shortened to Ashab al-Yamin, and quoting Evans that police were aware of “public reporting that this group may have links to Iran.”

The Economic Times highlighted the claim of responsibility and the group’s name, reporting that Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya (HAYI) or Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand of Islam said it was responsible, and it quoted Evans describing the group’s locations as “linked to Jewish or Israeli interests.”

Fox News added a broader security context, saying police flooded northwest London with additional officers after the torching of four Jewish charity ambulances in the Golders Green neighborhood on March 23, and it quoted Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes saying, “Let’s be really clear — it’s a mug’s game.”

The South China Morning Post and PBS both described the investigation into Iranian proxies but differed in how they characterized the group, with PBS saying Israel’s government has described Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia as a recently founded group with suspected links to “an Iranian proxy.”

The immediate aftermath of the Kenton attack included police action, continued investigations, and additional security measures described across multiple reports.

“An arson attack caused smoke damage at a synagogue in North London overnight, just one day and the third such occurence this week, British officials said Sunday”

CBS News

The BBC said the Met was investigating the latest attack as well as one at Finchley Reform Synagogue, another at a building used by a Jewish charity in Hendon, and ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity set alight in Golders Green last month, while also investigating an arson attack at a Persian language media organisation.

Fox News

It also said officers were on “deterrence and reassurance patrols” and that firefighters searched the building to confirm that there was no further fire risk, with the synagogue closed but hoped to reopen in a few days.

The Independent reported that the incident was being treated as arson and that “an investigation is underway led by Counter Terrorism Policing London, supported by local officers,” and it quoted a police spokesperson describing the accelerant evidence: “a bottle with some sort of accelerant had been thrown through the window.”

Reuters, via the New York Post, said there was no immediate comment from London’s police about the incident at Kenton United Synagogue, but it quoted the Community Security Trust statement that “there was minor smoke damage to an internal room, but there were no injuries and no significant structural damage.”

Fox News described a wider security posture, saying police shut down nearby Kensington Gardens while investigating suspicious items after the group claimed it would target Israel’s embassy in London with drones carrying hazardous substances, and it said police later reported that no dangerous materials were found.

The stakes were reflected in the political language used by Starmer and Mirvis, with Starmer writing, “We are increasing visible policing and those responsible will be found and brought to justice,” and Mirvis saying, “Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change.”