UK police arrest two teens in ‘thugs for hire’ Jewish site attack

UK police said Monday they had arrested two teenagers after the latest arson attack on sites including Jewish ones in London, bringing the number of arrests for six incidents to 15.

Matt Jukes, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said the new apprehensions came amid a pattern of “thugs for hire” as the United Kingdom sees “the pressure of hostile states bearing into our communities”.

The London force has been probing whether the attacks have been instigated by Iranian proxies, as Britain’s chief rabbi warns of “a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation” against Jews in the UK.

In the latest incident late Saturday, a bottle containing “some sort of accelerant” was thrown through a window of Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, northwest London, according to police.

Smoke was seen inside the room, but no injuries were reported, police said.

“I’m really pleased to say that overnight, we have news of two arrests in relation to that incident, 17- and 19-year-old males,” Jukes told BBC Radio 4.

Police said they remained in custody early Monday.

Jukes noted there had now been 15 arrests following six separate incidents on premises including a Jewish-led ambulance service and a Persian-language media outlet.

He added the possible involvement of proxies was “a very serious line of inquiry”.

“We’ve seen a pattern with other actors of thugs for hire — people taking cash. It looks like quick and easy money,” Jukes said, noting convictions last year in a case involving individuals working for Russia’s Wagner Group

“This is part of the modern hybrid war fought by proxies,” he added.

“We clearly see the pressure of hostile states bearing into our communities, and policing is going to respond to that.”

A little-known group, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), which has links to Iran, has claimed responsibility for many of the recent attacks, according to SITE Intelligence Group.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed Sunday to bring the perpetrators of the “abhorrent” recent attacks to justice, as concern over the spate of incidents intensifies.

Chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said in a post on X that “a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum”.

“Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society,” he added.

AFP