UK-Iranian national charged with arson at London memorial wall

LONDON, June 17 - A man who holds both British and Iranian nationality has been charged with an arson attack in April on a memorial wall in a north London area that is home to a large Jewish community, police said on Wednesday.

Ali Reza Fallahi, 45, has been charged with carrying out the attack on the wall in Golders Green which contained pictures of protesters who were allegedly killed by the Iranian state in January. He is due to appear at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

"This charge marks another step forward in one of the investigations into the series of arson attacks targeting the Jewish community and Iranian diaspora in London," said Helen Flanagan, head of counter terrorism policing in London.

A 38-year-old woman who was also arrested in connection with the arson has been released and faces no further action.

The incident was one of a number arsons carried out on Jewish sites in Golders Green during a spate of attacks, with police saying they were investigating whether they had possible Iran links.

Two Jewish men were also stabbed, prompting the government to raise the national terrorism threat level to "severe" from "substantial". REUTERS