Attempted attack on Finchley Reform Synagogue in UK capital leads to arrests.
LONDON — Two people were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of arson endangering life following an attempted attack on a north-west London synagogue.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said a 47-year-old woman and 46-year-old man in Watford, a town north of the capital, had been arrested. The incident was being treated as an antisemitic hate crime, they added.
CCTV showed two people wearing dark clothing and balaclavas approaching the Finchley Reform Synagogue shortly after midnight Wednesday, the force said. They placed two glass bottles, suspected to contain petrol, next to the synagogue’s windows and threw a brick at the building.
The incident comes after four ambulances belonging to the Jewish emergency volunteer medical service Hatzola were set on fire in north west London in March. Two men and a 17-year-old boy were charged with arson earlier this month.
Detective Chief Superintendent of the Met Luke Williams said: “I hope the swift action by officers today to identify and arrest two people provides some reassurance and demonstrates how seriously we take attacks of this nature.
“However, we understand the significant concern the Jewish community will feel at another incident so soon after the arson attack on four ambulances in Golders Green.
“There is no suggestion the matter in Finchley and the incident in Golders Green, for which three people have been charged, are linked. Our increased patrols in the Finchley area continue, and I would ask that anyone with concerns speaks to my officers.”