UK police investigating Iranian link in arson attacks on Jewish sites

Key Points:

• U.K. police are investigating a series of arson attacks on Jewish sites in London, suspecting involvement of Iranian proxies, with counterterror officers probing fires at synagogues and a Persian-language media company.
• The attacks, claimed by a group named Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, have caused minor damage and no injuries; the group is suspected to have links to Iran and has also claimed responsibility for similar attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.
• Several suspects have been arrested and charged, while extra police presence has been deployed in northwest London following attacks on synagogues, Jewish charity ambulances, and media critical of Iran.
• Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis warned of a growing campaign of violence and intimidation against British Jews, urging society to recognize the severity of the situation before any loss of life occurs.
• Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attacks as abhorrent and pledged justice, emphasizing that attacks on the Jewish community are attacks on Britain; police continue to investigate related threats, including a false claim of a drone attack on Israel’s London embassy.