Man arrested in Devon over suspected terror plot targeting Jewish sites

A 37-year-old man was arrested near Barnstaple, Devon, on Sunday over suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, as detectives widened an investigation into a string of attacks linked to the Jewish community in north west London. Counter Terrorism Policing officers took him to a London police station for questioning.

The arrest sits inside a broader inquiry that has stretched from Golders Green to Finchley and beyond. Police said it covers attacks on premises linked to the Jewish community in north west London, an attack on a Persian-language media organisation, and the discovery of jars containing a non-hazardous substance in Kensington Gardens.

The case has drawn intense concern because it follows the burning of four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green on 23 March and an attempted arson attack on Finchley Reform Synagogue. Officers have said one line of inquiry is whether criminal proxies were used in some of the incidents, suggesting the violence may not have been carried out solely by those with direct ideological motives.

Since the Hatzola attack, Counter Terrorism Policing officers have arrested 26 people. Eight have been charged with arson-related offences, and one person has been convicted of arson. Police say they are also providing protective security advice and support to a large number of organisations, community venues and businesses as the investigation continues.

The wider security response reflects mounting anxiety inside Jewish communities in Britain after repeated attacks on visibly Jewish targets. Hatzola, the volunteer emergency service whose ambulances were destroyed, became the first high-profile victim of the spree, and Finchley Reform Synagogue was then targeted in a separate attempted arson. The sequence of incidents has raised fears that synagogues, ambulance services and other communal sites are being singled out in an escalating campaign.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said police would not tolerate the intimidation of communities and would pursue those responsible. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also condemned the recent attempted antisemitic arson attacks, underscoring the political concern surrounding the case.

For investigators, the arrest near Barnstaple marks another step in a probe that now reaches well outside London but remains focused on the capital’s Jewish communal life. The range of targets, the number of arrests and the security measures now in place point to a threat that police treat as both criminal and deeply communal, with Jewish institutions in London still under close protection.