The Chief Rabbi declares that arson attacks are "gathering momentum."

 

The Met says it has stepped up patrols in the area(Image: BBC)

Attacks on the Jewish community are "gathering momentum", the Chief Rabbi says, after another arson attack was reported at a north-west London synagogue.

 The warning comes after Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow was attacked overnight, the latest in a series of arson attacks on Jewish properties this month.

 Counter-terrorism police are investigating whether they are linked to a group with possible ties to Iran, with officers warning those involved will face serious prosecution under national security laws.

 Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis described the latest attack as "cowardly" while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was appalled and that "visible policing" would be increased.

 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.

 "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," she said.

 "We're looking into the possibility that this strategy is being utilized here in London. I've previously mentioned the Iranian regime's use of criminal proxies. "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."

Evans added that anyone who was identified could be prosecuted under the National Security Act, which carried "significant sentences and lifetime restrictions".

Rabbi Yehuda Black (centre) said the item was thrown into the medical room(Image: PA media)

According to the Metropolitan Police, counterterrorism officers were looking into the most recent attack, as well as those at the Finchley Reform Synagogue, a Jewish charity building in Hendon, and ambulances that were set ablaze in Golders Green last month. An arson attack at a Persian language media organisation is also being investigated.

 At Kenton synagogue, the Met said officers on "deterrence and reassurance patrols" noticed damage to a window overnight.

 "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 force said.

 "The London Fire Brigade was called and firefighters searched the building to confirm that there was no further fire risk."

 No one was injured and minor smoke damage was reported.

 Yehuda Black, the synagogue's rabbi, said the item was thrown into the medical room.

"When I heard about what had happened, I was very upset. He stated, "Our synagogue is a beautiful synagogue." It is regrettable that it has been damaged in this manner. After the attack, the synagogue is closed, but it hopes to reopen in a few days.

"Last night yet another synagogue, this time in Kenton, was targeted in a cowardly arson attack," Sir Ephraim wrote on social media. "A sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gaining momentum," he continued. "This sustained attack on our community's ability to worship and live in safety is an attack on the values that bind us all together.

 "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."

On social media, Sir Keir wrote: "This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated.  Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.

 "We are increasing visible policing and those responsible will be found and brought to justice.  We will not stop looking for those responsible.

The Community Security Trust (CST), a Jewish security organization, thanked the London Fire Brigade and police for their prompt responses. A spokesperson added, "We are assisting the affected location and working closely with the police as they investigate and attempt to identify those responsible." This was "terrifyingly becoming a spate of daily arson attacks on the Jewish community," according to the Campaign Against Antisemitism. United Synagogue, an organisation that Kenton synagogue is a part of, said: "A synagogue is not just a building, it is a place of worship, community and - theoretically - safety.

 "To target it in this way is a deeply disturbing act that strikes at the heart of Jewish life."

The organisation's president, Saul Taylor, added: "The prime minister should declare publicly what the Jewish community has known for some time, this is an epidemic of anti-Jewish hate."

 On Saturday evening, the Met Police said it was increasing patrols across north‑west London, with more officers, stop and search powers, and armed and counter‑terrorism units deployed to protect communities and deter further incidents.

Source: BBC