Met Police Investigate Iranian Proxies Behind Arson Attacks on London Jewish Sites

British police said Sunday they are investigating whether a string of arson attacks on Jewish sites in London are the work of Iranian proxies, after fires caused minor damage and no injuries.

“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 Metropolitan Police force said counterterror officers are probing fires at synagogues and other sites linked to the Jewish community, as well as an attack on a Persian-language media company.

Al Jazeera

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said the attacks had been claimed online by a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, and she said police are exploring whether the Iranian regime’s proxy tactic is being used in London.

“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,” Evans said.

The latest blaze caused minor damage to a north London synagogue on Saturday night, and the Independent and Al Jazeera both described the target as Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, northwest London.

The Independent reported that Community Security Trust said the building sustained minor smoke damage to an internal room, and CBS News said no injuries were reported and that officers noticed damage to a window on Saturday night.

Police said the incidents happened within a few miles of each other, and NPR and Fox News both described the pattern as a “string” or “wave” of attacks on Jewish sites in London.

The Metropolitan Police said the investigation is being led by counterterror officers and that it has deployed extra uniformed and plainclothes officers to northwest London after attacks in the past month on synagogues, Jewish charity ambulances, and a Persian-language media organization critical of Iran’s government.

Inquirer and NPR both said no one has been injured in the blazes, and both described the latest incident as minor damage to a north London synagogue on Saturday night.

AP News

The Inquirer reported that a blaze that damaged Kenton United Synagogue on Saturday night followed a series of fires targeting Jewish-linked premises and an Iranian opposition outlet that are being investigated by counterterror police.

In the most serious incident, Reuters and NPR’s accounts aligned on the torching of four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity on March 23 in the Golders Green neighborhood, with no injuries in any incidents.

The Inquirer said several people ranging in age from teens to people in their 40s have been arrested and charged, and Fox News similarly said several suspects have already been arrested and charged.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis warned on X that “a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum,” and he added that “Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” by the attacks and pledged that “those responsible will be found and brought to justice,” while Fox News quoted him calling the attacks “abhorrent” and saying “Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.”

Police also said the group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia posted a video claiming Israel’s London embassy was going to be attacked with drones carrying dangerous substances, and Inquirer and NPR both said police shut the nearby Kensington Gardens park on Friday as officers examined discarded items including two jars containing powder.

Across the reporting, UK officials framed the investigation around whether the arson attacks are tied to Iranian proxies, with Vicki Evans describing the inquiry as evolving and connected to prior statements about Iran’s use of proxies.

“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

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,” and she added, “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,” in both Inquirer and NPR.

Al Jazeera said the Met Police were investigating whether the arson attacks could be linked to Iranian proxies and that Counter Terrorism Policing was leading investigations, after an arson attack at Kenton United Synagogue occurred overnight.

Al Jazeera also reported that Evans said most of the attacks have been claimed by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, often shortened to Ashab al-Yamin, and that she said police were aware of “public reporting that this group may have links to Iran”.

The Independent and Radio News Hub both quoted Evans describing the group’s activity as “recruiting violence as a service,” and Radio News Hub added her warning that “the people who conduct that violence often have little or no allegiance to the cause and are taking quick cash for their crimes.”

Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes said any “thugs for hire” who carried out such attacks would face justice, and he warned, “Let’s be really clear — it’s a mug’s game,” adding, “That’s what people who are now serving long prison sentences have found out, and the same fate awaits those responsible for these recent crimes.”

The Inquirer and NPR also said Israel’s government described Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia as a recently founded group with suspected links to “an Iranian proxy” that has claimed responsibility for synagogue attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The same reporting said the UK has accused Iran of using criminal proxies to conduct attacks on European soil targeting opposition media outlets and the Jewish community, and it cited MI5’s disruption of more than 20 “potentially lethal” Iran-backed plots in the year to October.

Jewish community leaders and officials described the attacks as part of a broader campaign of intimidation, even as police said there were no injuries in the blazes.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said on X that “a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum,” and he added, “Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society.”

Fox News

The Independent quoted Mirvis calling the Kenton fire “a cowardly arson attack” and said his statement shared on X noted it followed 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.

Saul Taylor, president of the United Synagogue, told the Independent that “The prime minister should declare publicly what the Jewish community has known for some time: this is an epidemic of anti-Jewish hate.”

The Independent also quoted a spokesperson for the Community Security Trust saying police and the London Fire Brigade responded quickly and that “We are supporting the affected location and are working closely with the police as they investigate and seek to identify those responsible.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence, and in the Independent he described it as “abhorrent,” writing on social media, “I am appalled by recent attempted antisemitic arson attacks in north London.”

Starmer also said, “We are increasing visible policing, and those responsible will be found and brought to justice. We will not rest in the pursuit of perpetrators.”

In parallel, Al Jazeera reported that Mirvis said the Kenton fire was the third “cowardly” attack on Jewish sites in the British capital in less than a week, and it repeated his warning that the campaign was gathering momentum.

While all the outlets describe the same core events—counterterror investigations into arson attacks on Jewish sites in London, claimed responsibility by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, and no injuries—each report emphasizes different elements of the case.

Inquirer and NPR foreground the Iranian-proxy question, quoting Vicki Evans’s line about exploring whether “this tactic is being used here in London,” and they also highlight MI5’s disruption of more than 20 “potentially lethal” Iran-backed plots in the year to October.

Inquirer

Fox News similarly centers the counterterror investigation and includes Matt Jukes’s warning that “Let’s be really clear — it’s a mug’s game,” while it also stresses the group’s video claim about drones and the police shutdown of Kensington Gardens.

Al Jazeera, by contrast, details the investigation’s operational framing by saying Counter Terrorism Policing is leading investigations and by listing additional incidents, including a bottle containing accelerant thrown inside the Finchley Reform Synagogue on Wednesday and Jewish-owned Hatzola ambulances set alight in the car park of a synagogue in Golders Green on March 23.

The Independent focuses on the immediate incident at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow and quotes the Community Security Trust about minor smoke damage, while it also includes the police spokesperson’s account that “A “bottle with some sort of accelerant had been thrown through the window” and smoke was seen inside a room.”

Radio News Hub incorporates a video described as being published by the group and says it shows “a person in dark clothing lighting an item and throwing it at the Kenton United Synagogue before running away,” and it includes the clip’s accusation that the synagogue is “one of the centres of Zionist influence in the British capital.”

CBS News emphasizes the forensic sequence, quoting the department’s statement that “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,” and it also ties the pattern to other attacks in Hendon and Finchley.

Across these differences, all outlets still report the same public statements from Mirvis and Starmer about a “sustained campaign” and “abhorrent” attacks, and they all repeat that police are investigating whether the attacks are linked to Iranian proxies.

The next steps described in the reporting center on ongoing counterterror investigations, continued visible policing, and further exploration of whether Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia has links to Iran.

Vicki Evans said police would continue to explore the question as the investigation evolves, and she tied the inquiry to prior statements about Iran’s use of criminal proxies, saying, “As you would expect, we will continue to explore that question as our investigation evolves,” and “we’re considering whether this tactic is being used here in London.”

The Independent said the incident is being treated as arson and that an investigation is underway led by Counter Terrorism Policing London, supported by local officers, and it quoted the police spokesperson describing the accelerant bottle and smoke inside a room.

Radio News Hub said Number 10 is in contact with local leaders in the Jewish community following the latest attack, and it described police searching a black SUV nearby on Sunday morning while the morning service was moved to another location but was still busy.

Inquirer and NPR both said the Metropolitan Police has extra uniformed and plainclothes officers in northwest London after attacks in the past month, and they described the Kensington Gardens shutdown as part of the embassy-drone claim investigation.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged that “those responsible will be found and brought to justice,” and he also said, “We are increasing visible policing,” while he warned that “This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.”

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis framed the stakes in terms of safety and timing, saying “Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society.”

The reporting also included a broader UK security context, with Inquirer and NPR citing MI5’s disruption of more than 20 “potentially lethal” Iran-backed plots in the year to October, and it included Matt Jukes’s warning that “thugs for hire” would face justice and that “the same fate awaits those responsible for these recent crimes.”