A police officer stands inside a cordon set up near Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, north-west London, on April 19, 2026, the scene of an arson attack overnight. JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed on Sunday, April 19, to bring perpetrators of recent arson attacks on Jewish sites in London to justice as Britain's chief rabbi said "a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation" against Jews was accelerating. The British capital's Metropolitan Police said it was investigating whether the spate of incidents in northwest London, the latest of which came on Saturday night, had been carried out by Iranian proxies. 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.
Starmer said in a post on X that he was "appalled" by the incidents. "This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain," the prime minister said in a post on X. "We will not rest in the pursuit of perpetrators." Counter-terror officers from London's Metropolitan Police are investigating multiple arson or attempted arson attacks against Jewish properties in Britain's capital in the past month. Officers have stepped up patrols in areas with large Jewish populations, amid an upsurge in antisemitic incidents.
