Police say a man was seen approaching a row of shops carrying a plastic bag later found to contain three bottles of fluid, which he allegedly placed by a building in Hendon before lighting it
Police have declared the latest arson attack in north-west London an antisemitic hate crime.
Members of the Jewish community have been urged to “remain calm” as counter-terror officers investigate the incident alongside a string of similar attacks. The Metropolitan Police, which is supporting Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London’s investigation, confirmed there have been “online claims of responsibility” for the arson and attempted arson attacks.
A man was spotted on Friday evening approaching a row of shops carrying a plastic bag, later found to contain three bottles of fluid. He placed the bag beside a building in Hendon, Barnet, before setting light to its contents, the force said. The man fled when the items failed to fully ignite, with the shopfront sustaining only minor damage and no injuries reported.No arrests have been made.
A police cordon remained in place around a building, believed to have formerly been used by the Jewish community, on Saturday afternoon. Armed response vehicles, CTP resources and police motorbikes have all been deployed to the area.
A “significantly increased” number of uniformed and plain-clothed Met officers will be visible throughout the weekend, with additional stop and search powers granted across Barnet. Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who heads policing in the area, said: “We continue to work with our colleagues from Counter Terrorism Policing who are leading the investigations into all of these incidents due to the similar circumstances and online claims of responsibility.”
Four Jewish community ambulances were set alight in Golders Green in the early hours of 23 March.
On Wednesday evening, an “ignited container” was hurled into a Persian media organisation’s premises in Wembley in an attempted arson attack, the force previously confirmed.
Detective Chief Supt Williams added: “We recognise the feeling of concern among local people and do not underestimate the impact of incidents of this nature – particularly our Jewish communities.”
A 26-year-old man living nearby told the Press Association: “It’s getting too close to home now.It’s worrying that this sort of thing is happening at the moment.”
The Met and CTP are in dialogue with Jewish community leaders, with officers working to provide reassurance to Jewish places of worship and businesses.
A spokesperson for the Community Security Trust (CST), a British charity dedicated to protecting the Jewish community, said: “We are aware of what appears to be another attempted arson, this time targeting a premises in north London previously used by the Jewish community.” The group stated it is working alongside police in their investigation, adding: “We urge people to remain calm and to report any suspicious activity, at any time of day or night, to police immediately on 999 and then to CST.”
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is yet another arson attack which appears to be targeting the Jewish community – it is the third in a month as we witness a worldwide pattern of attacks.
“It is unclear to what extent, if any, they are being co-ordinated. Police have only just reopened a central London park over a drone threat. Britain is under attack and those responsible will not stop at targeting Jews. Meanwhile, the Government thinks it is ‘not appropriate’ to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
The incident is not being treated as an act of terrorism. Officers were called to the scene at 10.31pm on Friday, with fire crews also responding.
Commander Helen Flanagan, of CTP London, said earlier on Saturday: “At this stage last night’s arson is not being linked to other incidents in the north-west London area over the last week or last month’s arson in Golders Green, but counter-terrorism officers are leading due to the similarities of each attack.
“I would ask that anyone with information or footage that could help our investigation gets in touch with police as soon as possible. We will be relentless in our pursuit of those responsible for this and other, similar, hateful acts against London’s communities.”
