The attempted arson attack on a London synagogue is the third attack on a Jewish community in the past week: “An ongoing campaign of violence”

An arson attack caused damage to a synagogue in North London overnight, just one day ago after a similar incident in the city and the third such incident this week, British officials said on Sunday.

The fire caused minor smoke damage to a room at the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, London, according to the Community Security Trust, which provides security advice to Jewish groups. No injuries were reported.

The Metropolitan Police said their officers saw damage to the window of the building on Saturday night. Footage from Sunday morning shows forensics officers and other law enforcement officers inspecting the cordoned off area.

“When they continued to investigate, they saw smoke in the room and evidence that a bottle containing some kind of accelerant had been thrown through the window,” said the department’s statement.

Britain’s chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis wrote on social media that the latest attack shows that “the ongoing campaign of violence and terror against the Jewish community in the UK is gaining momentum.”

“Thank God, no lives were lost, but we cannot, and should not, wait for that to change before we understand how dangerous this moment is for our entire community,” Mirvis wrote.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “shocked” by the latest attack.

“This is disgusting and will not be tolerated. An attack on our Jewish community is an attack on Britain,” Starmer said on the X website. “We will not rest in pursuing the perpetrators.”

Counterterrorism officers are investigating the attacks

Counterterrorism officers from the London Metropolitan Police investigate many cases of arson or attempted arson fire attack against Jewish buildings in the British capital last month. Police have increased patrols in areas with large Jewish populations.

Late on Friday, a building that used to house Jewish charities was targeted in Hendon, a suburb north of London near Harrow. No injuries were reported.

On Wednesday, police arrested two people after a synagogue in Finchley was set on fire. In late March, four ambulances belonging to the Jewish community were set on fire in Golders Green, also in north London. A lesser known group, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyawith links to Iran, has claimed responsibility for many of the attacks, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. Earlier, the group claimed to have carried out similar attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom in 2025, the second highest number ever reported to the organisation.