Man and woman arrested after arson attack on former London synagogue

A 45-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were arrested on Sunday over the fire at a former synagogue in Tower Hamlets, giving investigators their first public breakthrough in a case now being examined for possible hate-crime and terror links.

Both suspects were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson and taken into custody as Counter Terrorism Policing London continued to lead the inquiry. Police said the blaze was reported by the London Fire Brigade at 05:16hrs on Tuesday, 5 May at the building on Nelson Street, E1, in east London. Initial CCTV checks indicated the fire had been started intentionally at about 05:10hrs.

The damage was limited to gates and a lock at the front of the former synagogue, and no one was injured. Even so, the investigation has been treated as high-risk because of the building’s history and the pattern of recent attacks on sites connected to Jewish communities and opponents of the Iranian regime.

Police said the property was in the process of being sold to a local Somali Muslim organisation, a detail that has added another layer to an already tense case. Detective Superintendent Oliver Richter said people of all faiths in the area had felt targeted and condemned the attack, while Commander Helen Flanagan said the investigation formed part of a wider effort to arrest and charge those responsible for arson attacks and related incidents in recent weeks.

The arrest came against the backdrop of a broader security response across London. Police said several arson and attempted arson attacks in north west London, including the Golders Green ambulance attack on 23 March and the Finchley synagogue attack on 15 April, had already prompted counter-terrorism investigations and increased deployments. The Met has also created a dedicated Community Protection Team of 100 extra officers to provide a more visible, intelligence-led and coordinated presence focused on protecting Jewish communities across the capital.

Officers said the London threat level remained severe, and thousands of additional officer shifts, armed patrols and Project Servator deployments had been used to reassure communities while investigators worked through the evidence. What the two arrested suspects allegedly planned, and whether the Nelson Street fire was tied to the wider wave of attacks, remained the central question now driving the case.