Police investigate attempted arson at former Jewish charity site in Hendon

A plastic bag containing three bottles of fluid was set down beside a former Jewish charity site in Hendon before the items were lit and failed to catch properly, leaving only minor damage to the shopfront and no injuries.

Police were called at 10.31 p.m. on Friday to the building in northwest London, which still bears the Jewish Futures sign in the front window and is described as available for let. Officers said a man had approached a row of shops, placed the bag by the building and attempted to ignite it before fleeing the scene.

Counter Terrorism Policing London is leading the inquiry, but the Metropolitan Police said the case is not being treated as terrorism and officers are keeping an open mind about the motive. No arrests had been made by Saturday.

The incident landed in a tense stretch for north London’s Jewish community. It came about a mile from the March 23 arson attack on four Hatzola Northwest ambulances in Golders Green, which destroyed the vehicles and was investigated as an antisemitic hate crime. It also followed an attempted arson attack on Finchley Reform Synagogue on April 15, when two suspects in dark clothing and balaclavas threw two bottles suspected to contain petrol and a brick at the building, though neither bottle ignited and no damage was reported.

Hendon MP David Pinto-Duschinsky said the latest incident would "undoubtedly add to the concerns" of the local Jewish community. Counter Terrorism Policing London Commander Helen Flanagan said the force was leading the case because of similarities to the other recent attacks, while stressing that it had not yet been linked to them.

The Community Security Trust said the episode appeared to be another attempted arson targeting premises previously used by the Jewish community, with minimal damage and no injuries. The wider picture remains stark: the trust recorded 1,521 anti-Jewish hate incidents in the first six months of 2025, after a record 1,978 in the first half of 2024.

For Jewish institutions, the symbolism matters as much as the damage. A site can change use, take down its daily charitable function and still retain enough public association to become a marker for intimidation. In Hendon and nearby Golders Green and Finchley, police are now weighing whether a pattern of attacks on visible Jewish-linked addresses points to opportunistic vandalism, coordinated harassment or something more deliberate in a climate already shaped by rising antisemitic fear.