London’s counter-terrorism command is investigating a string of arson attacks on Jewish and Israeli-linked premises in the capital, with senior officers warning that Britain may be witnessing Iranian-backed “violence as a service” carried out by hired criminals.
Speaking outside Kenton United Synagogue on Sunday, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the Senior National Co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said the attacks form part of what appears to be a co-ordinated campaign. The latest struck overnight: a synagogue in the Brent-Harrow area was set alight, while bins outside a communal block in Barnet were torched. A Jewish business in Barnet had been targeted on Friday.
What the Met has disclosed about the group behind the attacks
Responsibility for most of the incidents has been claimed online by a group calling itself Ashab al-Yamin, also known as the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right. DAC Evans told reporters the same network had claimed attacks across Europe in recent months, targeting places of worship, businesses and financial institutions apparently connected to Jewish or Israeli interests.
“The nature of the incidents has been similar — arson attacks targeting Israeli and Jewish linked premises in London,” she said.
Officers are now examining whether the group has ties to Tehran, citing public reporting of such links. “As the conflict in the Middle East continues to evolve, Counter Terrorism Policing and our partners remain alive to the threat of Iranian state aggression in the UK,” DAC Evans said, adding that questions of “motivation and direction” would be pursued as the investigation develops.
Why investigators suspect a ‘violence-as-a-service’ model
Central to the police theory is the suggestion that the actual perpetrators may have little ideological commitment to the cause they are serving. DAC Evans pointed to what she described as the Iranian regime’s established pattern of using criminal proxies, saying officers were now considering whether the same tactic was being deployed on London’s streets.
“Individuals carrying out these crimes often have no allegiance to the cause and are taking quick cash for their crimes,” she said. Her warning to anyone tempted to take part was blunt: “The stakes are high — and it is absolutely not worth the risk for a small reward. Those tasking you will not be there when you are arrested and face court. You will be used once and thrown away without a second thought.”
Those identified could face prosecution under the National Security Act, she said, which carries lengthy sentences and lifetime restrictions.
Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes reinforced the point, drawing on previous cases to underline the risk. “The teams we have led have put people in prison who thought they could make easy money that way,” he said. “Let’s be really clear — it’s a mug’s game.”
A community living behind locked gates
Deputy Commissioner Jukes used the briefing to address the broader impact on Jewish Londoners, describing a “concerted campaign” against the community. Recalling a visit to a Finchley synagogue on Friday evening, he said he had been struck by the congregation’s resilience but troubled by the circumstances under which worshippers now gathered.
“To join that service, I’d passed through locked gates and high fences. Simply to join people coming together in faith. This should not be anyone’s reality,” he said.
He called on Londoners of all backgrounds to stand with those being targeted, describing the attacks as acts of antisemitism and intimidation that demanded a collective response from faith groups, political leaders, charities and businesses.
The Met, he said, was matching words with action. One of the overnight incidents was detected quickly by local officers who had been specifically deployed to patrol Jewish places of worship and businesses. Further operational details had been released the previous evening, he noted, declining to restate them.
DAC Evans appealed for public vigilance, urging anyone who notices something suspicious to contact police. “It could be vital to our investigation,” she said, pledging that officers would “not rest until those responsible for these acts are held to full account.”
