Arson attack causes smoke damage at North London synagogue
An arson attack caused minor smoke damage overnight at a synagogue in North London, just one day after a similar incident occurred in the city and marking the third such occurrence this week, British officials said Sunday.
The fire resulted in smoke damage to a room at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, according to the Community Security Trust. No injuries were reported.
Metropolitan Police officers noticed damage to the building’s window on Saturday night. Photos from Sunday morning show forensic officers and law enforcement personnel inspecting the cordoned-off area.
“Further inspection revealed smoke inside a room and evidence that a bottle with some sort of accelerant had been thrown through the window,” the department stated.
British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis expressed concern over social media, stating that recent attacks indicate a “sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community in the UK is gathering momentum.”
“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,” Mirvis wrote.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attacks on social media, stating they are “abhorrent” and will not be tolerated. He vowed to pursue the perpetrators relentlessly.
The Metropolitan Police’s counterterrorism officers are investigating multiple arson or attempted arson attacks against Jewish properties in London over the past month. Patrols have been increased in areas with large Jewish populations.
Late Friday, a building that formerly housed a Jewish charity was targeted in Hendon, north London, with no injuries reported.
On Wednesday, police arrested two individuals following an arson attack on a synagogue in nearby Finchley. In late March, four Jewish community ambulances were torched in Golders Green, also in north London. Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, a little-known group linked to Iran, has claimed responsibility for many of the attacks.
The Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2025, marking the second-highest total ever reported to the organization.