Detectives have launched an urgent search for two masked men after an attempted firebombing of a synagogue in Finchley, the latest in a run of incidents that has left Jewish community leaders warning of a deepening climate of intimidation.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers were called to Finchley Reform Synagogue shortly after 1am, where two bottles believed to contain petrol, along with a brick, were thrown at the building by suspects wearing balaclavas. The attempt caused no damage and no one was hurt. Counter-terrorism officers have joined the investigation, which is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.
What officers found at the scene
Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, leading the Met’s response, said detectives were moving quickly to identify those responsible and appealed for anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage to come forward. He acknowledged the anxiety the incident was likely to provoke locally, particularly given events of recent weeks.
“We are working with the affected synagogue and continuing to meet with community leaders,” he said, adding that the force took “incidents of this nature extremely seriously”.
The Community Security Trust, which monitors antisemitism and coordinates protection for Jewish sites across Britain, said it was assisting both the synagogue and investigating officers.
Why the attack has alarmed community leaders
The incident comes only weeks after four ambulances operated by a Jewish charity were set alight in nearby Golders Green, an attack also being handled by counter-terrorism detectives. Taken together, the two cases have heightened unease among Jewish residents in the Barnet area, long home to one of the largest Jewish populations in the capital.
Cantor Zoë Jacobs, speaking on behalf of Finchley Reform Synagogue, described the congregation as “a proud, progressive and welcoming space for all” and said the attack was plainly intended to frighten British Jews. She insisted the community would not retreat. “We will continue to prioritise building bridges across the wider Barnet community and will not be deterred by these cowardly acts,” she said, thanking police, government and the CST for their support.
The Holocaust Educational Trust linked the incident to what it called “a broader pattern of rising antisemitism”, arguing that the trend needed to be tackled with urgency. The Jewish Leadership Council said it was “horrified”.
A community pushed towards higher walls
The political response was swift. Sarah Sackman, Labour MP for Finchley and Golders Green, said the attempted attack followed “a series of alarming attacks” on Jewish residents in her constituency and warned against accepting such incidents as routine. “British Jews must be free to go about their lives without fear — whether taking their children to nursery or attending synagogue. We do not want to live behind ever higher walls,” she said.
Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, thanked officers for their response and echoed the Met’s appeal for witnesses, noting on X that no one had been hurt but that information from the public was now critical to the inquiry.
For now, the investigation continues on two parallel tracks — the hunt for the Finchley suspects and the wider examination of whether recent attacks on Jewish sites and institutions in north London are connected.
