UK police arrest 2 after weekend arson attack on synagogue

Key Points:

• British police arrested two teenagers, aged 19 and 17, in connection with an arson attack on Kenton United Synagogue in northwest London, amid a series of attacks targeting Jewish sites and a Persian-language media organization critical of Iran.
• Authorities have made 15 arrests related to six attacks, with counterterrorism police investigating a possible link to Iran allegedly hiring local criminals to carry out these acts amid Middle East tensions.
• The most recent attack involved a bottle with flammable liquid thrown through a synagogue window, causing smoke damage but no injuries; previous incidents include arson destroying ambulances owned by a Jewish charity.
• Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the antisemitic attacks, pledging increased security for the Jewish community, while the Chief Rabbi warned of a growing campaign of violence and intimidation against UK Jews.
• Police are probing claims by a group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, which has taken responsibility for multiple attacks in Britain and Europe targeting Jewish or Israeli interests and is believed to have links to Iran as a proxy group.