Two Arrested After Arson Attack on Harrow Synagogue, Police Probe Hate Crime

A bottle containing an accelerant was thrown through a window at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, leaving minor smoke damage in a medical room and prompting police to treat the overnight incident as both arson and an antisemitic hate crime. A 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man were arrested around midnight on Sunday in connection with the attack.

The Community Security Trust said there were no injuries and no significant structural damage. Rabbi Yehuda Black said the item had been thrown into the medical room, underscoring how close the fire came to a part of the building used for care and safety rather than worship alone.

By morning, the synagogue was ringed by a large police cordon. Forensic officers, fire investigation dogs and plainclothes officers were seen at the scene, with police noting that the synagogue sits near a school and a children’s playground. The location sharpened concern among Jewish community leaders that attacks on institutions of faith are also attacks on the wider civic spaces that surround them.

The Harrow incident landed amid a series of arson cases in north-west London that Counter Terrorism Policing is now examining together. Those inquiries include the attack on volunteer-led ambulances run by the Jewish community in Golders Green on 23 March, an attempted arson attack at a synagogue in Finchley at about 00:10 on Wednesday 15 April, and an arson attack on the offices of a Persian-language media organisation in north-west London at about 20:30 on 15 April. Police have said multiple arrests have been made in connection with those cases, though none has been declared a terrorist incident.

Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes said the force believes Britain’s Jewish community is facing a "concerted campaign" and that investigators are examining whether "Iranian proxies" were behind some of the attacks. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said some of the incidents had been claimed online by the Ashab al-Yamin group, which has been publicly linked to Iran.

The response from local and national leaders reflected the scale of the anxiety. Saul Taylor, president of Kenton’s United Synagogue, called for the prime minister to declare an "epidemic of anti-Jewish hate." Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis described the attack as "cowardly" and said a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community was gathering momentum. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was appalled by the recent attempted antisemitic arson attacks in north London and said visible policing would be increased. Police have warned that anyone involved, including those acting for payment, could face prosecution under the National Security Act.