A police forensics officer works during an investigation into an attack in the early hours of the morning, at the Finchley Reform Synagogue, in the North Finchley area of north London, on April 15, 2026. (Toby Shepheard / AFP)

UK police make third arrest over attempted arson on London synagogue last month

19-year-old man taken into custody over April 15 assault on Finchley synagogue; police say 30 people arrested so far over recent arsons, eight charged, one has pled guilty

by · The Times of Israel

British counterterrorism police arrested a 19-year-old man on Thursday in connection with an attempted arson attack on a synagogue in north London last month, marking the third arrest in the investigation, which comes amid a wave of antisemitic attacks.

The man was arrested on suspicion of attempted arson and remains in custody, London’s Metropolitan Police said, adding that they were working together with national counterterror forces.

The latest arrest relates to an incident in the early hours of April 15 at a synagogue in Finchley, north London, in which no damage was caused and no injuries were reported.

A 38-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man were arrested on the day of the attack on suspicion of arson endangering life. Both have since been released on bail until July.

Police on Thursday said the inquiry is being led by Counter Terrorism Policing London and forms part of a wider set of investigations into recent arson attacks across the capital targeting Jewish sites.

Last month, arsonists burned down four ambulances belonging to the Jewish Hatzola charity, which were parked next to a synagogue in the adjoining, largely Jewish neighborhood of Golders Green. Another synagogue, and a third synagogue building that’s been repurposed, have also been targeted.

Additionally, a knife-wielding assailant stabbed two Jewish men, aged 76 and 34, seriously wounding both, in an antisemitic terror attack.

Burned ambulances in a parking lot at Golders Green in London, March 23, 2026, after an arson attack on four vehicles belonging to a Jewish ambulance service in London. (AP/Alberto Pezzali)

Arsonists have also targeted a Persian-language news outlet hostile to the Iranian regime, and a memorial wall bearing photos of Iranians killed by the Islamic Republic and Israelis killed by Hamas.

Authorities have suggested Tehran may be behind some of the attacks, and a newly formed terror group – Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) – has claimed responsibility for some of them. The group is believed to have links to Iran.

Police said Thursday that a total of 30 people have been arrested so far in connection with recent arson attacks, eight of whom have been charged with various offenses, and one of whom – a 17-year-old male – has pleaded guilty to arson, in connection with an attack on Kenton Synagogue.

They are among some 80 people arrested in connection with both the string of arsons and other recent antisemitic hate crimes, according to figures provided earlier this week.

London’s Metropolitan Police on Wednesday announced the creation of a special unit to protect Jews, which will initially comprise 100 extra officers and combine neighborhood policing with “specialist protection and counterterrorism capabilities.”

On Tuesday, the chief prosecutor for England and Wales, Stephen Parkinson, announced hate crime prosecutions were set to be fast-tracked due to the “deeply troubling rise in antisemitic incidents.”