London Police Hunt Two Suspects After Attempted Arson Attack on Synagogue
On Wednesday, London police announced they are searching for two suspects following an attempted arson attack on a synagogue located in Finchley. The pair, dressed in dark clothing and balaclavas, approached the synagogue shortly after midnight and threw two bottles suspected to contain petrol which did not ignite.
This incident follows recent antisemitic attacks including one last month where ambulances run by Jewish charity were targeted and another deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue in October. The group claiming responsibility for these incidents is believed to have ties with pro-Iranian regime elements, according to analysts.
The Finchley incident was being treated as an antisemitic hate crime and investigated with support from counterterrorism detectives. Monitoring groups report a surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents across Britain since the start of Israel-Hamas conflict.
In 2024, Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 instances of anti-Jewish hate, marking a 4% increase from 2023. Two men and a boy were charged over an ambulance attack on March 23, while two Iranians appeared in court in London accused of spying on the Jewish community.
On October 2, during Yom Kippur, a deadly synagogue attack in Manchester killed two people and injured three others seriously, heightening fears among Jewish communities. In February, two men were jailed for life after a gun attack plot on a Jewish gathering was foiled in Manchester.