Timeline of attacks on the Jewish community in London
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LONDON: Since March, London's Jewish community has been hit by a spate of attacks in rapid succession, mostly targeting areas in the north of the United Kingdom capital where many Jews live.
A little-known group, the Iran-linked Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), has claimed responsibility for almost all the attacks, according to SITE Intelligence Group.
The group has also claimed responsibility for attacks in other European countries.
British police said the London assaults appeared to be linked and attackers may have been paid by a proxy.
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Here is a timeline of the incidents:
MAR 23
An arson attack in the northern Golders Green district destroyed four ambulances run by the Hatzola Jewish charity, causing damage valued at one million pounds.
Three men aged 18, 19 and 20, and a 17-year-old boy have been charged and are set to go on trial.
The men are all British. The boy is of dual British-Pakistani nationality. All live in London.
APR 15
Just after midnight, attackers in balaclavas threw bottles suspected to contain petrol and a brick at Finchley Reform Synagogue in north London. The bottles did not ignite and no damage occurred.
Police arrested a 47-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man in Watford, north of the capital.
APR 17
Police found "jars of a non-hazardous substance" in Kensington Gardens near the Israeli embassy.
Police said it was a powder.
A video posted by the HAYI group claimed to have targeted the embassy with drones carrying "dangerous substances".
Police in protective clothing searched the area but found nothing harmful.
Three men in their 30s were arrested - two in London and one in Devon in southwest England. One has been bailed, one released without charge and one is now in custody.
Separately, an arson attack targeted a building in Hendon, north London, that was previously used by an educational charity, Jewish Futures. The charity said it caused minor damage to a doorway.
Police said a man was seen lighting bottles at the scene, but they failed to ignite and he fled. No arrests have been announced.
APR 18
Just before midnight, an object believed to be a petrol bomb was thrown at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, north London, causing minor damage.
A 17-year-old boy, a British national from north London, was arrested the next day. He has pleaded guilty.
A 19-year-old was also arrested and released on bail.
APR 28
Police said there was a suspected arson attack just after midnight targeting a memorial wall in Golders Green that commemorates Iranians killed in anti-government protests.
The wall also commemorates victims of the Oct 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian Hamas militants on Israel.
This is the only incident for which Ashab al-Yamin has not claimed responsibility, according to SITE Intelligence group.
APR 29
A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the stabbing of two British Jewish men, aged 76 and 34, on the street in Golders Green in the morning.
Police said the suspect has a history of serious violence and mental health issues. He was born in Somalia and came to the UK as a child.
For the first time, police said the stabbing was being treated as terrorism, unlike the previous incidents, although all are being investigated by counter-terrorism officers.
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