Two suspects are currently being hunted by police after an attempted arson attack on a synagogue in north London, the United Kingdom, involving bottles believed to contain petrol.
The incident occurred at the Finchley Reform Synagogue and is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Officers said the suspects, both wearing balaclavas, arrived at around 01:00 BST and threw a brick along with two bottles at the building. Fortunately, neither ignited and no injuries or damage were reported.
Last month, four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community charity were set on fire in a separate arson attack, with counter-terrorism police involved in both investigations.
Sarah Sackman, the Labour MP for Finchley and Golders Green, condemned the incident, saying, “This shocking attempt to harm a local synagogue follows a series of alarming attacks on the Jewish community in Finchley and Golders Green.”
She added that she “refuses to allow this to become the new normal”.
“British Jews must be free to go about their lives without fear – whether taking their children to nursery or attending synagogue. We do not want to live behind ever higher walls,” she said.
The Community Security Trust, a charity responsible for monitoring antisemitism and providing security to the Jewish community in the UK, said it was “supporting the affected location and are working closely with the police”.
Det Ch Supt Luke Williams said the Met was “aware of the significant concern” the incident will cause in the community, particularly following the arson attack in Golders Green last month.
He added, “We are working with the affected synagogue and continuing to meet with community leaders.
“I would like to reassure the community that we take incidents of this nature extremely seriously and detectives are working urgently to identify the suspects.
“If you have any CCTV, dash cam footage or information that could help officers please contact the police.”
