Flames licked the medical room of Kenton United Synagogue in northwest London early on April 19, 2026, leaving smoke damage but no injuries.
Counter-terrorism police launched an investigation into the attempted arson, the third such attack on Jewish sites in the area within a week. The pro-Iranian group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya claimed responsibility online through a video posted to Telegram channels monitored by security officials.
The incident unfolded overnight between April 18 and 19 at the synagogue on Kenton Road in Harrow. Responders found scorch marks and minor fire damage confined to the medical room, where worshippers receive first aid during services. No one was inside at the time.
Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Lancaster, head of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, described the attack as deliberate.
This marks the third incident in less than seven days. On Wednesday, April 16, arsonists targeted a synagogue in Finchley, also in northwest London, causing damage to an exterior door. Two nights later, on Friday April 18, attackers struck the former Jewish Futures building in Hendon, igniting a fire that firefighters extinguished before it spread.
Harakat Ashab al-Yamin, known as the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand, linked all three attacks in its claim. The group, which British authorities view as a possible proxy for Iran, released footage showing a masked individual hurling a Molotov cocktail at the Kenton synagogue. Security analysts note the group's emergence ties to heightened Middle East tensions.
Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis condemned the pattern of violence.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed the alarm during a statement from Downing Street.
I am appalled by a spate of recent arson attacks in northwest London.– Prime Minister Keir Starmer Starmer pledged additional resources to the police investigation and vowed to combat antisemitic threats.
Community leaders in Harrow reported heightened fears among Jewish residents. Gideon Falter, chief executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, arrived at the scene shortly after firefighters departed.
Counter-terror officers raided two addresses in Brent on April 19 afternoon, detaining three men aged 22, 28, and 34 for questioning. Forensic teams combed the synagogue for accelerants and DNA evidence. The video claim, uploaded at 2:17 a.m., featured Arabic text praising the attacks as retaliation for Israel's actions in Gaza.
Joanna Cherkis, security director at the Board of Deputies of British Jews, met with synagogue leaders in Kenton.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper chaired an emergency meeting of the Cobra crisis committee on April 19 evening. Officials discussed bolstering patrols around 400 Jewish sites across the UK. MI5 Director General Ken McCallum briefed attendees on Harakat Ashab al-Yamin's ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, based on intelligence shared with allies.
Local MP David Pinto-Duschinsky, representing Harrow East, visited the site with residents.
My constituents deserve to pray without fear of firebombs at their doorstep.– David Pinto-Duschinsky, MP for Harrow East He pressed for faster prosecution of hate crimes in the borough.
The attacks coincide with pro-Palestinian protests in central London, though police found no direct links. Community tensions simmer amid global debates over Iran-Israel proxy conflicts. Analysts at the Henry Jackson Society think tank warned of spill-over risks to Europe.
Simon Johnson, director of the Jewish Leadership Council, addressed a press scrum outside Scotland Yard.
Police classified all three incidents as terrorism-related. The Kenton attack caused £15,000 in repairs, per synagogue estimates. Worshippers held a subdued Shabbat service on April 19 under police guard, with turnout down 40 percent from usual.
International observers took note. US Ambassador to the UK Jane Hartley tweeted support for British Jewish communities, while Israel's embassy in London bolstered its own security. As investigations continue, London's Jewish population of 150,000 braces for potential further strikes.
