UK Counter Terrorism police probe arson attack at former London synagogue

Minor damage caused to gates of building in east of capital, no injuries reported; officers looking at potential links to other incidents targeting Jewish community

London, United Kingdom — London police said Tuesday that Counter Terrorism police were investigating a new arson incident targeting the Jewish community after a blaze at a former synagogue.

Firefighters were called to a building in east London early in the morning, the capital’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

Only minor damage was caused to the gates of the building, formerly the East London Central Synagogue, located on Nelson Street in the Tower Hamlets borough of the capital.

“Initial CCTV enquiries indicate that the fire was started intentionally at approximately 05:10hrs and the incident is being treated as arson,” said the statement.

“Given the nature of the incident and the location being a former synagogue, the incident is being investigated by Counter Terrorism Policing London.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke, who heads policing in the area, said in the statement that officers were “taking this incident extremely seriously.”

“The building targeted has not been operational as a synagogue for some years, but that will be of little comfort to the Jewish community in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and beyond, who are first in my thoughts this morning,” she said, and added the local residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area as the investigation is carried out.

Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of London Counter Terrorism Police, which is leading the investigation, said officers will be “considering any potential links” to a number of other incidents of arson or attempted arson targeting Jewish Londoners in the north west of the city.

According to The Guardian newspaper, the old synagogue was due to go up for auction earlier this year, and a Muslim group had been interested in converting it into a mosque and community center.

The news came as Prime Minister Keir Starmer gathered public figures for talks on a response to what he called a “crisis” after a series of antisemitic attacks.

There has been a spate of incidents, including arson in the capital, notably in the Golders Green area of north London, which is home to a large Jewish community.

Last week, two Jewish men were stabbed and seriously injured in a main street of the area, and in April, four ambulances belonging to a Jewish volunteer emergency service were torched, also in Golders Green.

“One of the lines of inquiry is whether a foreign state has been behind some of these incidents,” Starmer told the meeting.

“Our message to Iran or to any other country that might seek to promote violence, hatred or division in society is that it will not be tolerated.”

A little-known group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) — meaning The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand and believed to be linked to Iran — has claimed responsibility for previous attacks in Britain and other European countries.