An attempted arson attack was carried out overnight at a north London synagogue, the fourth such incident targeting Jewish properties in the capital in less than a month.
The Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow sustained minor smoke damage to an internal room in the attack, which occurred overnight between Saturday and Sunday. The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity providing security advice to Jewish groups, confirmed there were no injuries or significant structural damage.
A large police cordon remained in place on Sunday morning, with forensics officers, fire investigation dogs and plainclothes officers working at the scene. Police were seen searching a black SUV near the synagogue, which is located close to a school and a children’s playground.
A series of targeted incidents
The attack on Kenton United Synagogue follows a pattern of similar incidents across north-west London in recent weeks.
The previous evening, around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, a man attempted to set fire to a building on Hendon Way formerly used by the Jewish charity Jewish Futures. The Metropolitan Police said the man placed a plastic bag containing three bottles of fluid next to the building and tried to ignite them, but fled when they failed to fully ignite. The shopfront sustained minor damage.
Counter Terrorism Policing London is leading the investigation into this incident, which is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime. The Iran-linked group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In the early hours of Wednesday, two masked individuals in dark clothing approached the Finchley Reform Synagogue and threw two bottles, believed to contain petrol, at the building. A brick was also thrown at the firebombs, but neither ignited and the suspects fled. A 47-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man from Watford were later arrested on suspicion of arson endangering life. This incident is also being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.
This spate of attempted attacks began in the early hours of 23 March, when four ambulances belonging to Hatzola, a Jewish community volunteer ambulance service, were set on fire in Golders Green. The fire caused cylinders in the vehicles to explode, destroying the ambulances and shattering windows in a nearby residential block. The CST estimates the damage at £1 million. Four individuals have been charged in connection with this attack. HAYI has also claimed responsibility for this arson.
Police response and wider context
The Metropolitan Police said on Saturday it had increased resources in north-west London following the series of attacks. This includes more uniformed and plain-clothed officers, armed response vehicles, and the use of stop-and-search powers to reassure communities and deter further incidents.
In a statement, a CST spokesperson said: “We are aware of another attempted arson, this time targeting a synagogue in north London, following similar recent incidents targeting the Jewish community in Finchley, Golders Green and Hendon. We want to thank the Met Police and London Fire Brigade for responding quickly and for all they are doing to protect the Jewish community during this unprecedented period.”
Counter Terrorism Policing London is leading investigations into multiple incidents due to their similarities and online claims of responsibility. There is an ongoing line of inquiry into whether the attacks are linked to Iran, with the UK having previously accused Iran of using criminal proxies for attacks on European soil.
These incidents occur against a backdrop of a significant rise in reported antisemitism in the UK. The CST recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents across the country in 2025, a surge that began after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.
