Two arrested over Kenton synagogue attack

Two teenagers are being held by police over an arson attack aimed at a synagogue in north-west London, the Metropolitan Police has said.

A bottle containing a type of accelerant was thrown through the window of Kenton United Synagogue on Shaftesbury Avenue, Kenton, at about midnight on Sunday. Minor damage was caused to the building, although no injuries were reported.

The Met's deputy commissioner Matt Jukes told the BBC on Monday that a 17-year-old boy and 19-year-old man were detained overnight.

Juke confirmed that a total of 15 arrests had been made in relation to six attacks on targets with Jewish connections in London in recent weeks.

These include arson attacks on four Jewish ambulances in Golders Green, a Persian media company in Park Royal, and a synagogue in Finchley, north London.

Most of these assaults appear to have been claimed by the group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia - or the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right.

The group appears to have posted a series of social media videos linking it with the incidents in north London as well as many similar attacks against Jewish targets across Europe.

The Met has said it was investigating the authenticity of the claims.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Jukes described the series of attacks as "part of the modern hybrid war fought by proxies".

Asked whether he thought they may have been committed by local offenders recruited by Iran, he said: "I think that's a very serious line of inquiry in relation to these events, we've seen a pattern... people taking cash, as it looks like quick and easy money."

Jukes also described these incidents as "a concerted campaign against Londoners, against Britons, against British Jewish communities in particular".

He also commended the Jewish community in London for having shown "incredible resilience".

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis described Sunday's attack on Kenton synagogue as cowardly and that a "campaign of violence and intimidation" against Jews was gathering momentum".

His statement shared on X said: "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."

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