Two Arrested After Arson Attack on London Synagogue

London's Metropolitan Police have arrested two individuals, a 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man, in connection with an attempted arson attack at the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, north London, in the early hours of Sunday morning. Counter-terrorism officers said a bottle containing an accelerant was thrown through the window around midnight, causing smoke damage to an interior room, though no injuries were reported. Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes confirmed the arrests and noted that they form part of a broader investigation into 15 arrests connected to six incidents targeting Jewish premises, a Jewish-led ambulance service, and a Persian media organization in recent weeks. The synagogue attack is the latest in a string of incidents targeting the Jewish community in London. On the night of April 17, police responded to an attempted arson at a business linked to the Jewish community, while earlier last week, two suspects were arrested over a similar attack at another London synagogue. In March, several ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency service Hatzola were set ablaze while parked near a synagogue in Golders Green. Additionally, police briefly cordoned off an area near the Israeli Embassy following reports of drones carrying "dangerous substances," though subsequent analysis found the recovered items contained no hazardous materials. Counter-terrorism investigators are examining possible links between this pattern of attacks and Iran, with British security officials previously warning that Tehran has sought to use criminal proxies to conduct hostile activity in Britain. The surge in attacks on Jewish targets follows the October 2023 Hamas assault on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, a period during which police and community groups have documented a significant rise in anti-Semitic incidents across the country.