UK police make eight further arrests after arson attacks on Jewish sites

UK counter-terrorism officers investigating a spate of arson attacks on Jewish and other sites in London have made eight further arrests, bringing the total number to 23, police said Tuesday.

The capital's Metropolitan Police said seven of the arrests, made in the past 48 hours, were part of "a proactive investigation into alleged conspiracy to commit arson".

Six sites, all of them Jewish save a Persian media outlet that is critical of Iran, have been targeted by arson attacks in recent weeks. While no injuries have been reported, Jewish leaders have denounced rising anti-Semitism, and police say that Iranian proxies may have been involved.

"While it is believed that the intended target of this conspiracy is a venue related to the Jewish community, the specific target or venue is not known," the force added.

Detectives arrested three men – aged 24, 25 and 26 – late Sunday in Harpenden, north of London. They have since been released on bail.

Officers on Monday then detained a 25-year-old man in nearby Stevenage, as well as a 26-year-old man and two women aged 50 and 59 in a car near Birmingham, western England. They all remain in custody in London.

On Tuesday police arrested a 39-year-old man in west London under anti-terror laws, amid a probe into "the discovery of jars of a non-hazardous substance" Friday in Kensington Gardens, the Met said. The gardens are close to the Israeli embassy.

"As part of this investigation, a search is ongoing at a premises in east London," the force added.

The Met noted that of the 23 people arrested since March 23, eight have been charged with arson-related offences, while 13 people remain in custody or on bail under active police investigation.

Flaming bottle through the window

A teenage boy was one of those eight charged, police revealed earlier Tuesday, following the latest incident late Saturday.

It involved a bottle containing "some sort of accelerant" thrown through a window of Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, northwest London, according to police.

Smoke was seen inside the room, but no injuries were reported, the Met has said.

Footage was posted online of someone in dark clothing setting light to the bottle and throwing it through the synagogue's window.

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Two young men, aged 17 and 19, were arrested, with the youngest now having been charged with arson not endangering life. He was due to appear in court later Tuesday. The 19-year-old has been released.

The Met's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said the force "will be relentless in our pursuit of anyone involved in carrying out or planning these arson attacks".

"One of our key lines of inquiry is whether criminal proxies – that is to say people being paid money to carry out a crime – are being used," said Evans, Counter Terrorism Policing's senior national coordinator.

Although most of the incidents being probed targeted Jewish-linked sites, they also include a burning object being thrown against the offices of Persian media outlet Iran International, which is critical of Iran's clerical leadership.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)