Overview
- Met police arrested a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old on Monday in the Kenton United Synagogue case, where a bottle of flammable liquid thrown through a window on Saturday night caused only minor smoke damage and no injuries.
- Counter Terrorism Policing is leading a connected investigation that has produced about 15 arrests across six incidents targeting Jewish-linked sites and a Persian media office critical of Iran.
- Most incidents have been claimed online by Harakat Ashab al‑Yamin al‑Islamia (HAYI), a little‑known group that also posts about attacks in Europe, though police say online claims do not prove who is directing the crimes.
- Senior officers say a key line of inquiry is a “thugs for hire” model in which local offenders take quick cash to carry out arson, and they have increased visible patrols at Jewish sites after an officer on duty spotted the synagogue attack.
- Community leaders report rising fear and officials condemn the spree, while police continue forensic work and assess any Iran link against a backdrop of past UK disruptions of Iran‑linked plots and a wider rise in antisemitic incidents.