COUNTER-TERRORISM police are leading an investigation into an arson attack on the former site of a Jewish business in North London.
Cops are treating it as an antisemitic hate crime.
A man was seen approaching the row of shops in Hendon last night with a plastic bag which he placed next to the building and set on fire.
Fortunately, the bottles – later found to contain fluid – didn’t fully ignite and the man fled the scene.
Pictures from the scene appear to show scorch marks outside a building that used to belong to Jewish Futures, a charity for Jewish educational brands.
The Metropolitan Police were called to the scene at 10:31pm on Friday and fire crews also attended.
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Members of the Jewish community have been urged to “remain calm” as counter-terror police investigate it alongside a series of similar incidents.
There have been “online claims of responsibility” for the arson and attempted arson attacks, said the Metropolitan Police, which is supporting Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London’s investigation.
No arrests have been made.
A “significantly increased” number of uniformed and plain clothed Met officers will be visible through the weekend and extra stop and search powers have been granted across Barnet.
The attack was about a mile away from Golders Green where four Jewish community ambulances were torched by masked arsonists last month.
Commander Helen Flanagan, of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “At this stage last night’s arson is not being linked to other incidents in the north-west London area over the last week or last month’s arson in Golders Green, but counter-terrorism officers are leading due to the similarities of each attack.”
“I would ask that anyone with information or footage that could help our investigation gets in touch with police as soon as possible.
“We will be relentless in our pursuit of those responsible for this and other, similar, hateful acts against London’s communities.”
A spokesperson for the Met added: “It is not being treated as a terrorist incident and officers are keeping an open mind about the motive behind the attack.
“No arrests have been made at this time.”
Speaking to Sky News, David Pinto-Duschinsky, MP for Hendon, said the attack will “undoubtedly add to the concerns” of the Jewish community in the area.
He said: “In Hendon, we are proudly the home of a large Jewish community.
“We’ve seen the attacks on Hatzola in Golders Green, which is just a mile down the road.
“Also, the attack on Finchley Reform Synagogue, which is just a few miles away, so obviously this adds to the concerns the community has.
“Today is Sabbath, and as people come out of Sabbath they will be greeted with this news, so it’s something I’m working very hard on and obviously it’s a source of concern.”
Counter-terrorism police are now investigating three separate arson attacks across northwest London over the last few weeks.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, two bottles thought to contain petrol, and a brick were thrown at a synagogue in Finchley by masked arsonists.
The suspected firebomb attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime, and a man and a woman have now been arrested on suspicion of arson endangering life.
That evening, a second arson attack was made towards the offices of a Persian Language media organisation in northwest London.
This comes as a fourth man was charged in connection with last month’s attack on the community ambulances on Friday.
Responsibility for all three attacks has been claimed by a group which claims to have links to Iran – Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, meaning The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand.
Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who leads policing in the area, said: “Since the incident in Golders Green last month, we have spoken extensively to community leaders. I understand and appreciate their concerns, and I know this latest incident will add to fears in the community.”
He added that police presence in the area will be stepped up following an initial increase after the ambulance firebombing.
“This includes armed police patrols as well as deployments of officers from Project Servator, who are specially trained to spot anyone who may be planning or preparing to commit criminal acts,” he continued.
A 26-year-old man who lives nearby said: “It’s getting too close to home now.
“It’s worrying that this sort of thing is happening at the moment.”
The Met and CTP are engaging with Jewish community leaders and officers are working to provide reassurance to Jewish places of worship and businesses.
A spokesperson for the Community Security Trust (CST), a British charity working to provide safety to the Jewish community, said: “We are aware of what appears to be another attempted arson, this time targeting a premises in north London previously used by the Jewish community.”
The group said it is working to assist the police investigation, adding: “We urge people to remain calm and to report any suspicious activity, at any time of day or night, to police immediately on 999 and then to CST.”
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is yet another arson attack which appears to be targeting the Jewish community – it is the third in a month as we witness a worldwide pattern of attacks.
“It is unclear to what extent, if any, they are being co-ordinated.
