British counter-terrorism officers are investigating a series of antisemitic arson attacks across London, with authorities examining possible connections to proxies of the Iranian regime. The Metropolitan Police has announced increased patrols and additional resources in response to what prosecutors describe as targeted attacks against the Jewish community.

The most recent incident took place on Friday, 17 April, in Hendon, a neighbourhood in north London with a significant Jewish population. A man was filmed approaching a row of shops carrying a plastic bag containing three bottles filled with an unidentified fluid. He placed the bag against a building housing a Jewish charity and ignited the contents before fleeing; the bottles failed to fully ignite, limiting the damage.

That attack follows a more destructive incident on 23 March, when four ambulances belonging to Hatzola — a volunteer-led Jewish emergency medical service operating in the Golders Green area of north-west London — were set on fire. The blaze caused gas canisters stored inside the vehicles to explode, resulting in an estimated £1 million in damage. Hatzola, which originated in New York City in the 1960s, provides free emergency ambulance services primarily in Hasidic Jewish communities but responds to anyone in need, regardless of religion or background. Four men have now been charged in connection with that attack: Hamza Iqbal, 20, and Rehan Khan, 19, both from Leyton in east London; a 17-year-old of dual British-Pakistani nationality from Walthamstow; and Judex Atshatshi, 18, from Dagenham, east London, who was remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday. All four are due to appear at the Old Bailey on 24 April. A fifth suspect, also 18, has been released on bail pending further investigation.

The Crown Prosecution Service's head of special crime and counter-terrorism, Frank Ferguson, confirmed that prosecutors have worked closely with the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism command throughout the investigation, and cautioned against any reporting or online commentary that could prejudice the defendants' right to a fair trial.

The cluster of attacks has alarmed British Jewish communities and raised broader concerns about the security environment facing minority groups in the United Kingdom. The investigation into potential links with Iranian regime-backed networks adds an international dimension that authorities are treating with particular urgency, reflecting wider European concerns about state-sponsored interference and proxy violence on foreign soil.