Continuing its investigations into a series of arsons committed in London and mainly targeting the Jewish community, the British police have made eight new arrests. A total of 23 people were arrested and eight of them were charged.
Published on: 04/21/2026 - 5:34 p.m. Modified on: 04/21/2026 - 7:07 p.m.
British police announced on Tuesday April 21 that they had made eight new arrests as part of their investigations into a series of arsons or attempted arsons committed in London and mainly targeting the Jewish community, bringing the total number of arrests to 23.
Several sites where these attacks took place – which did not result in any injuries – are linked to the Jewish community. Among them: two synagogues, an ambulance service and a community association.
A sixth attack targeted the premises of Persian-language television Iran International in London.
In its press release, the police specify that seven arrests have been made in the last 48 hours, in an investigation into a planned “arson” of which the police “believe that the target of this plot is a place linked to the Jewish community”, even if “the precise target or location is not known”.
“We will not let up in our fight against anti-Semitism”
They are five men, aged 24 to 26, and two women aged 50 and 59, arrested between Sunday evening and Monday in Harpenden and Stevenage, two towns located north of London, as well as in a car in Birmingham, in central England. Three men have been released on bail while the other four suspects are in custody.
Police also arrested a 39-year-old man in west London on Tuesday, this time following the discovery on Friday of "jars containing a non-dangerous substance" in Kensington Gardens, London police added. The park is located near the Israeli embassy.
“We will not let up in our fight against anti-Semitism and terrorism,” reacted Prime Minister Keir Starmer on his X account, warning that “all the perpetrators” of these attacks, which sowed fear in the Jewish community, “will face the full consequences of the law”.
Of these 23 arrests, eight people were charged. Among them, a 17-year-old teenager arrested Sunday evening for attempting to burn down a synagogue located in the northwest of the capital. This British minor, whose identity is protected by law, pleaded guilty to "arson" on Tuesday at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
He was arrested alongside a 19-year-old man. He was placed on bail pending further investigation, according to police.
Most of the incidents were claimed by a little-known group believed to be pro-Iran, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya (Hayi), whose name means "Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand of Islam." This group has already claimed responsibility for attacks elsewhere in Europe.
Also readHayi, new facade of Iranian hybrid war in Europe?
With AFP
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