This is the moment a masked suspect ‘hurls a firebomb’ through the window of a north west London synagogue.
Counter-terror police are investigating the attack on Kenton United Synagogue in Shaftesbury Avenue, Harrow, at around midnight on Sunday.
A bottle containing an accelerant was flung through a window after a suspect scaled the gates of the synagogue.
It caused smoke damage but no one was injured. The fire was limited to a medical room.
Synagogue officials said a passing police patrol saw smoke billowing from the building and alerted firefighters.
A still from CCTV footage obtained by Metro shows a suspect with a white mask and hood with what is believed to be a bottle with accelerant they allegedly lit and lobbed through the window.
A 17 year old boy and 19 year old man have been arrested in connection with the incident.
The Kenton incident and other suspected antisemitic attacks in recent weeks, including the burning out of volunteer Jewish ambulances in Golders Green, have been claimed by the Ashab Al Yamin group.
Met Deputy Commissioner Vicki Evans said: ‘We are aware of public reporting that suggests this group had links to Iran. I’ve spoken previously about about the Iranian regime’s use of criminal proxies and we’re considering if that tactic is being used here in London.’
The Jewish community in Britain has seen a rise in reported hate crimes following the October 7 attack and the military response by Israel in Gaza.
Rabbi Yehudah at the synagogue said security had been bolstered since the attack, which was caught on CCTV outside the synagogue.
‘We will not be deterred’
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He told Metro: ‘This is a very sad day. Obviously it’s a serious incident and we now have extra security. It could have been a lot worse. We will not be deterred. We will carry on and the synagogue is open. This is generally peaceful community and we are very resilient. Whoever did this needs to be brought to justice and we have had the full support of the police. It’s a cowardly act of intimidation but we refuse to be intimidated.’
The rabbi showed the Metro the damaged room, which still smells of petrol and is unusable.
Brian Lewis, who has been head of security at the Synagogue for 40 years, told Metro: ‘I’ve never seen anything like this in the years I’ve been here. We had eggs chucked a few years ago but this is another level. We’ve brought in extra security – we have to be ready for anything in the current climate.’
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was ‘appalled’ by the ‘recent antisemitic arson attacks’.
Counter-terror police are also investigating an attempted arson attack on a Persian language service and a synagogue in Finchley.
A Met Police spokesperson said on the Kenton attack: ‘At around midnight on Sunday, 19 April officers on deterrence and reassurance patrols, following a series of incidents in north west London, noticed damage to a window of the Kenton United Synagogue in Shaftesbury Avenue, Harrow.
‘On further inspection they saw smoke inside a room and evidence that a bottle with some sort of accelerant had been thrown through the window.
‘The London Fire Brigade was called and firefighters searched the building to confirm that there was no further fire risk.
‘The incident is being treated as arson and an investigation is underway led by Counter Terrorism Policing London, supported by local officers.’
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