A 46-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of arson following a fire at a memorial wall in Golders Green, North London, the Metropolitan Police confirmed. The suspects, who have not been named, were taken into custody at an address in Romford, East London, on Monday morning and remain at a London police station.
Investigation Details
Police are conducting searches at the Romford address as part of the ongoing investigation. The fire was reported on April 27 at the site in Limes Avenue, but authorities said the memorial wall itself was not damaged. The wall serves as a tribute to thousands of protesters killed in a crackdown in Iran in January and is located near a Jewish centre.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London, stated: "We are committed to protecting vulnerable communities in the capital. Detectives have been conducting extensive enquiries since this incident was reported to us last week and these two arrests are the result of that hard work."
Broader Context of Attacks
This incident is part of a series of alleged antisemitic attacks in the area under police investigation. On April 29, a double stabbing in Golders Green left two Jewish men, Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Ben Baila, 76, also known as Norman Shine, hospitalized. The alleged attacker, Essa Suleiman, 45, appeared in court charged with attempted murder and was remanded into custody.
On April 18, a teenage boy smashed a window at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow before lighting a bottle and throwing it inside. He admitted arson not endangering life. The previous day, a former Jewish charity building in Hendon, Barnet, was targeted with a plastic bag containing three bottles of fluid set alight.
Attempted arson attacks also occurred at Finchley Reform Synagogue and outside the offices of a Persian media company on April 15. Bottles, one thought to contain petrol, were placed near the synagogue in Fallow Court Avenue, Finchley. Hours later, an "ignited container" was thrown towards Volant Media, the parent company of Iran International.
In March, four Jewish community ambulances belonging to Hatzola were torched in Golders Green, causing gas canisters to explode and resulting in approximately £1 million in damage.
Police Response and Public Appeal
CTP London has made a total of 30 arrests and charged nine people in connection with incidents in north-west London since the Hatzola ambulance attack. Commander Flanagan added: "With the threat level now raised to severe, everyone can play their part to keep themselves and their communities safe. If you have concerns about someone behaving suspiciously, please report it to us. Your information could help us save lives."
Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 101, quoting CAD 7308/27APR, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
