Key Points
- Kenton United Synagogue in Shaftesbury Avenue, Harrow, was targeted overnight on 19 April in the fifth incident of a North London arson wave since 23 March.
- Officers on deterrence patrols spotted damage to a window at around midnight. A bottle containing accelerant had been thrown through the window, and smoke was found inside a room.
- A pro-Iranian Islamist group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks in the series.
- Counter Terrorism Policing London is leading all investigations, supported by local Met officers.
- Extra stop and search powers have been granted across Barnet. Armed response vehicles and significantly increased uniformed and plainclothes officers are deployed across North London.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the attacks as “abhorrent” and pledged those responsible would be found and brought to justice.
- Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis warned that a “sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum.”
- No injuries have been reported in any of the five incidents.
North London, (North London News) April 20, 2026 – North London’s Jewish community woke on Sunday morning to news of yet another arson attack—the fifth incident in a wave stretching back nearly four weeks—as Counter Terrorism Police confirmed that a bottle of accelerant had been thrown through a window at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow overnight. The attack caused minor smoke damage to an internal room, but no injuries were reported.
The five incidents form a chilling pattern. Four Jewish community ambulances belonging to Hatzola were torched in Golders Green on 23 March. On 15 April, bottles thought to contain petrol were placed near Finchley Reform Synagogue in Fallow Court Avenue just after midnight by two individuals wearing balaclavas. Hours later on the same evening, a burning container was thrown at the offices of Iran International, a Persian-language media outlet critical of Iran’s government, in North West London.
On 18 April, a building in Hendon formerly used by the Jewish Futures educational charity was targeted. A man placed three bottles of fluid against the premises and lit them before fleeing when they failed to fully ignite. And just hours later came the attack on Kenton United Synagogue.
Police are investigating whether the attacks are the work of Iranian proxies. Deputy Assistant Commissioner and Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, Vicki Evans, confirmed that HAYI has claimed responsibility online for several of the incidents and that police were actively exploring potential links to Iran. The group has also claimed similar attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands. Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes warned that those carrying out attacks on behalf of foreign organisations would face severe consequences, describing it as “a mug’s game.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the attacks were “abhorrent” and would “not be tolerated,” adding that attacks on the Jewish community were attacks on Britain. Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis described the Kenton attack as “cowardly” and said the campaign was gathering momentum.
“Thank God, no lives have been lost,”
he said,
“but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change.”
The Community Security Trust urged all Jewish institutions to strictly adhere to security protocols and thanked police for their response during what it called an “unprecedented period.”
