A man has admitted to arson after setting fire to a photograph of Iran's former Crown Prince near a memorial wall in Golders Green, a court has heard. Ali Fallahi, 46, from Ilford, East London, pleaded guilty in August to starting a blaze on April 27 in an area of North London with a large Jewish population, an incident that prompted a counter-terrorism police investigation.
Fire at memorial wall
The fire began at approximately 12:15am in a cabinet positioned in front of a memorial wall on Limes Avenue. The wall was established by the Miga Rally community group as a tribute to thousands of protesters killed in a crackdown in Iran in January. A section of the wall also honors those killed in the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Miga Rally reported that the blaze was spotted and quickly extinguished, and it did not spread to the wall itself. The incident occurred in a neighborhood with a significant Jewish community, which led to the involvement of counter-terrorism police in the investigation.
Motivation and court proceedings
At Harrow Crown Court on Friday, it was revealed that Fallahi attempted to burn a photograph of Reza Pahlavi, the former Crown Prince of Iran, whom he blamed for the death of his cousin during anti-government protests in Iran. Pahlavi, 65, lives in the United States as a dissident in exile and has encouraged Iranians to protest against the regime of the Islamic Republic.
Judge Lana Wood read out a summary of Fallahi's position, stating: "What he says is there was no wider political motivation or hate element in this offence. He did have a grievance against Reza Pahlavi but that was related to his bereavement of his cousin who was killed in anti-government protests in Iran."
Judge Wood continued: "He says, 'It was easy for Reza Pahlavi to be brave in making calls for people to go out and protest against the regime in Iran when he was himself making calls from a safe country.' For that reason Mr Fallahi has been angry with Reza Pahlavi and at the time of offending he was blaming him for his cousin's death."
Sentencing adjourned
Fallahi's sentencing on Friday was adjourned to November 27 after the dual British-Iranian national requested a change in his solicitors, citing that their "relationship broke down," as the court heard. A Newton hearing will take place on November 27, with Judge Wood outlining the positions of both the prosecution and Fallahi before releasing him on bail.
Prosecutor Oliver Mosley said there was "no information to contradict" Fallahi's stated motivation, and the judge indicated she would sentence him on that basis. However, prosecutors allege that Fallahi intended to damage the cabinet on which the photograph was situated, as well as the picture itself. They also argue that due to the cabinet's proximity to the memorial wall, Fallahi must have been reckless as to whether his actions would result in damage to the memorial.
The judge said the Newton hearing would establish whether Fallahi intended "just to damage the photographs of Reza Pahlavi or whether you also intended to damage the cabinet." Summarizing the prosecution's case, Judge Wood said: "When you put accelerant to photos on the cabinet, it's blindingly obvious, they say, that the cabinet was also going to be damaged. The test for me is whether the prosecution are right when they say that."
