LONDON, April 15 – British authorities have opened a counter-terrorism investigation following a failed firebombing attempt at a Jewish house of worship in north London, marking another troubling incident affecting the city’s Jewish residents.
According to police reports, two individuals dressed in dark clothes and face coverings hurled what appeared to be gasoline-filled bottles along with a brick at the Finchley synagogue just after midnight Wednesday. The makeshift incendiary devices failed to catch fire, resulting in no property damage or personal harm.
Authorities are handling the case as an antisemitic hate crime, which follows closely behind a March incident where four emergency vehicles belonging to Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer ambulance service, were deliberately set ablaze while stationed near a Golders Green synagogue in the same area of north London.
“We are aware of the significant concern that this incident will cause in the community, particularly in the wake of the arson attack in Golders Green last month,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams.
Parliament member Sarah Sackman, who represents the local constituency, expressed her determination not to allow such attacks to become routine occurrences.
“This shocking attempt to harm a local synagogue follows a series of alarming attacks on the Jewish community in Finchley and Golders Green,” she said in a statement.
“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.”
Statistics from law enforcement and community organizations show that hostile acts against Jewish individuals and institutions have increased throughout Britain following Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The British government responded to these security concerns in February by allocating approximately 28 million pounds ($38 million) in funding to enhance protective measures at synagogues, Jewish educational institutions, and community facilities.
