The Metropolitan Police announced on Sunday that their counter-terrorism unit is investigating recent attacks on synagogues and other Jewish community sites, as well as an assault on a Persian-language media company.
Fortunately, no injuries have been reported from these incidents, the most recent of which inflicted minor damage on a synagogue in north London on Saturday night.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans revealed that a group named Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia has taken responsibility for these attacks in online claims.
“We are aware of public reports suggesting potential connections between this group and Iran. As expected, our investigation will continue to delve into this possibility,” Evans stated.
“Previously, I have discussed the use of criminal proxies by the Iranian regime. We are examining whether this strategy is being employed here in London,” she added.
The Israeli government has labeled Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia—which translates to the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right—as a newly formed group with alleged ties to “an Iranian proxy.” The group is also reportedly responsible for similar attacks on synagogues in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The police force has extra uniformed and plainclothes officers to north-west London after attacks in the past month on synagogues, Jewish charity ambulances and a Persian-language media organisation critical of Iran’s government.
A blaze that damaged Kenton United Synagogue on Saturday night follows a series of fires targeting Jewish-linked premises and an Iranian opposition outlet that are being investigated by counter-terror police.
In the most serious incident, four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity were torched on March 23 in the Golders Green neighbourhood,
No one has been injured in any of the incidents, which all happened within a few kilometres of each other. Several people, ranging in age from teens to people in their 40s, have been arrested and charged.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said on X that “a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum”.
“Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society,” he added.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” by the attacks, and pledged that “those responsible will be found and brought to justice”.
Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia also posted a video claiming Israel’s London embassy was going to be attacked with drones carrying dangerous substances.
Police said the embassy was not attacked, but the force shut the nearby Kensington Gardens park on Friday as officers examined discarded items including two jars containing powder. Police said nothing harmful was found.
The UK has accused Iran of using criminal proxies to conduct attacks on European soil targeting opposition media outlets and the Jewish community. Britain’s MI5 domestic intelligence service says that more than 20 “potentially lethal” Iran-backed plots were disrupted in the year to October.
Some security experts say Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia is likely a flag of convenience rather than a coherent group, and its claims should be treated with caution.
Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes said any “thugs for hire” who carried out such attacks would face justice.
“Let’s be really clear â it’s a mug’s game,” he said.
“That’s what people who are now serving long prison sentences have found out, and the same fate awaits those responsible for these recent crimes.”
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