Two masked men threw two firebombs and a brick at a London synagogue on predawn Wednesday morning, in what investigators are treating as a suspected antisemitic hate crime.
Neither bottle ignited, and no damage was caused to the Finchley Reform Synagogue, according to the Metropolitan Police and Community Security Trust. Finchley Reform Synagogue leadership and Finchley MP Sarah Sackman said on social media that nobody was harmed in the incident.
No arrests had been made by Wednesday evening, and the Met appealed to locals for information and video surveillance footage that could aid officers in their investigation. Specialists from Counter Terrorism Policing London are reportedly supporting the investigation.
“I would like to reassure the community that we take incidents of this nature extremely seriously, and detectives are working urgently to identify the suspects,” Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said.
Residents were told to expect a heightened police presence in the area over the coming days.
Synagogue leadership said it was grateful for the support from local police, neighbors, and politicians, resolving to continue to celebrate its community and observe the week’s Sabbath.
“When something threatens our physical space and our community, it also strengthens our resolve to invest our time and our love in positive expressions of our Judaism and our values,” wrote synagogue administrators. “For generations, Jews have responded to hatred with an affirmation of our purpose, refusing to have our identity defined by those who would do us harm.”
Sackman said she had visited the site, and the local MP pledged to prevent antisemitism from becoming normalized in the community.
“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,” Sackman said on X/Twitter.
Finchley attack comes weeks after Golders Green arson
Sackman and the Met noted that the incident came weeks after the arson against four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green on March 23.
“We are aware of the significant concern that this incident will cause in the community, particularly in the wake of the arson attack in Golders Green last month,” said Williams.
A total of four people have been arrested in relation to the Golders Green arson.
Leyton residents Hamza Iqbal and Rehan Khan, and a 17-year-old Walthamstow Pakistani British national, were arrested on April 1 and charged on April 4. They are expected to appear before the court on April 24.
At an April 4 hearing, officers recognized another suspect, a 19-year-old man, and arrested him on suspicion of arson. He is out on bail until May.