Officers from Metropolitan Police said firefighters were called early Tuesday to a building in east London, where gates at a former synagogue were set alight, causing minor damage.

Authorities said initial CCTV evidence indicated the fire was started deliberately at around 0510 GMT.Given the site’s connection to the Jewish community, the case has been taken up by Counter Terrorism Policing London, the force added.The incident comes amid a broader spike in antisemitic attacks across London, including arson cases and last week’s stabbing of two Jewish men.

The Golders Green area, home to a large Jewish population, has been among locations affected.Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday convened public figures to discuss what he described as a “crisis” in response to the rise in such attacks. He said authorities were examining whether any incidents may have links to foreign actors.

“Our message to Iran or to any other country that might seek to promote violence, hatred or division in society is that it will not be tolerated,” Starmer said.

A group identified as Harakat Ashab Al-Yamin Al-Islamiya (HAYI), which is believed by officials to have links to Iran, has previously claimed responsibility for similar attacks in Britain and elsewhere in Europe.Police said investigations into the latest arson incident are ongoing.

Muslim and Jewish community organisations in Britain say recent violence targeting Jewish residents in north London has reinforced the importance of long-term interfaith work, even as rising fear and tensions linked to the conflict in the Middle East make that work more difficult.

The latest concerns followed the alleged attempted murder of two Jewish men in Golders Green, an area of north London with a large Jewish population. Community leaders said the incident has deepened anxiety within British Jewish communities already facing heightened tensions since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

Laura Marks, co-founder of Nisa-Nashim, a Jewish-Muslim women’s network established eight years ago, said repeated incidents of violence have left many community organisers emotionally exhausted.“I feel punch drunk,” Marks said. “Every day it feels like there is something else. It’s relentless.”

Nisa-Nashim was created to bring Jewish and Muslim women together through social gatherings, dialogue and community events aimed at reducing distrust and stereotypes between the two faith communities. The organisation’s founders said the goal was to strengthen local relationships that could withstand political tensions generated by international conflict.

Marks said incidents such as the Golders Green attack can feel discouraging for groups that have spent years working to improve community cohesion.“I do sometimes despair,” she said. “But if I don’t believe I can make things a bit better, then what am I doing?”She said the purpose of such organisations is not to address violent extremism directly, but to counter the wider social consequences of conflict, including fear, suspicion and growing separation between ordinary people.

“A lot of this work is not designed to address extreme radicalisation,” she said. “The aim is to help ordinary Jews and Muslims acknowledge their similarities as well as their differences, whether culture, history, scripture or food.”According to Marks, the conflict that followed the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel made this work significantly harder.

As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza intensified and public debate in Britain became more polarised, support for interfaith initiatives weakened.She said some volunteers withdrew after experiencing online abuse or extremist threats, while others felt demoralised or faced pressure from family members who questioned participation in cross-community projects.

At present, she said, the immediate focus for many Jewish communities is physical security.“Right now, all people can hear is walls, police, security,” Marks said. “I understand that. It’s like a hierarchy of needs: if we are not safe, we can’t do anything else.”But she warned that permanent separation cannot be the long-term answer.“Long term, we can’t live behind walls,” she said.

“We have to build relationships.”Mohammed Amin, co-chair of the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester, said he felt “horror and dismay” when he learned of the Golders Green attack. The forum, established more than two decades ago, brings Muslim and Jewish communities together through shared social events and dialogue.Amin said its work has produced practical improvements in local community relations by encouraging understanding and trust.

“People get to know each other,” he said. “We have seen real friendships emerge.”The group regularly organises visits, meals and cultural exchanges. Amin pointed to an upcoming visit to a kosher-halal fish and chip restaurant in Leeds, staffed by both Muslims and Jews, as an example of how ordinary social interaction can reduce suspicion and build familiarity.“You can’t change the course of international politics,” he said.

“But these things help change the atmosphere and defuse tension.”Amin, a businessman and former Conservative Party member who is now affiliated with the Liberal Democrats, said responsibility for improving cohesion cannot rest entirely with charities and volunteers. He argued political leadership is essential in shaping public attitudes.“Some politicians in our society trade on sowing division and resentment,” he said.

He cited comments made by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage following the Southport riots in 2024 as an example of rhetoric that can inflame tensions rather than reduce them.“If politicians are going to pour petrol on the flames, do not be surprised by the outcome,” Amin said.

Community organisations say funding for interfaith programmes remains limited despite growing concern over social division. Marks said government investment in cohesion work is often overlooked compared with visible security responses, despite its importance in preventing long-term fragmentation.“At the core of what we do is mixing people, bringing people together,” she said.

“This is social cohesion at the coalface.”She argued that while police protection and community security measures are necessary, they should not replace investment in trust-building between communities.Amin said tensions between Jewish and Muslim communities in Britain often rise and fall depending on developments in the Middle East, but local relationships can help reduce the impact of those external pressures.

For him, interfaith work is less about solving geopolitical conflict and more about preserving the everyday social fabric of British cities.“If you increase connectivity, you decrease hostility,” he said. “The key is to recognise we are all ordinary human beings.”

London’s Metropolitan Police said a 45-year-old British man born in Somalia was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the late-morning assaults, which left two men aged 76 and 34 hospitalized in stable condition.

Police said the suspect, who also allegedly attempted to stab officers during the arrest, is believed to have been involved in a separate incident earlier the same morning in southeast London in which another person sustained minor injuries.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said the suspect had “a history of serious violence and mental health issues,” while counter-terrorism officers were leading the investigation to determine motive and possible links to a broader pattern of attacks targeting Jewish communities.

The incident occurred shortly after 11 a.m. local time when the Shomrim Jewish neighborhood watch group reported that a knife-wielding man was attempting to stab Jewish members of the public in Golders Green, an area with a large Jewish population.

The incident occurred shortly after 11 a.m. local time when the Shomrim Jewish neighborhood watch group reported that a knife-wielding man was attempting to stab Jewish members of the public in Golders Green, an area with a large Jewish population.

Members of Shomrim helped detain the suspect before police arrived and used a Taser to subdue him. The victims were treated at the scene by Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer ambulance service, before being taken to hospital.King Charles III, currently on a state visit to the United States, said he was “deeply concerned” by the attacks in a statement issued by Buckingham Palace.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the stabbings as “appalling” and convened an emergency meeting of senior ministers and officials, saying the government would ensure a swift response from criminal justice agencies.“The government is taking action in relation to security, cohesion, extremism,” Starmer told broadcasters, adding that he would meet officials on Thursday to review security arrangements and legal responses.

The attack follows several recent arson incidents targeting synagogues and Jewish institutions in north London, including fires involving Hatzola ambulances and attacks on synagogues in Kenton and Finchley.Police have arrested 28 people in connection with those incidents and Wednesday’s stabbing since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28.

A little-known group believed to be linked to Iran, Harakat Ashab Al-Yamin Al-Islamiya (HAYI), claimed responsibility for the stabbing through an online video cited by SITE Intelligence Group, saying one of its “lone wolves” carried out the attack. The claim has not been independently verified.

Israel’s foreign ministry said the attacks showed Britain was failing to protect its Jewish community.“After attacks on synagogues, Jewish institutions, community ambulances and now Jews targeted in Golders Green, the UK government can no longer claim this is under control,” it said in a post on X.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the Jewish community remained resilient but demanded stronger action.“Such attacks need to stop now. Zero tolerance that’s what our community wants,” he told reporters.

Monitoring groups in Britain have reported a sharp increase in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, with tensions further intensified by the broader regional conflict involving Iran.

The Metropolitan Police said no injuries were reported in the early-morning attack in Golders Green, but the blaze destroyed the vehicles, triggered explosions from onboard oxygen cylinders and damaged nearby homes, prompting evacuations.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said detectives were pursuing multiple lines of inquiry, including an online claim of responsibility by a group identifying itself as Harakat Ashab Al-Yamin Al-Islamia, which has previously claimed attacks in Europe.

“We are pursuing all lines of inquiry, including an online claim of responsibility by an Islamist group who have claimed other attacks across Europe and have potential Iranian state links,” Rowley said, adding that it was too early to attribute the incident directly to any state actor.

Police said three suspects seen in security footage carrying a canister near the ambulances are being sought, though no arrests have been made.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as “horrific” and met Jewish community representatives at Downing Street to discuss the response.“Antisemitism has no place in our society and it’s really important that we all stand together at a moment like this,” Starmer said.

Religious leaders also condemned the attack, with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis calling it a “sickening assault,” while Anglican leader Sarah Mullally said such violence had no place in society.

The ambulances belonged to Hatzola Northwest, a volunteer emergency response organization serving the local Jewish community. The London Fire Brigade said explosions from oxygen cylinders shattered windows in nearby buildings.

The attack has heightened concerns within Britain’s Jewish population, estimated at around 300,000, amid a broader rise in antisemitic incidents. The Community Security Trust has reported a sharp increase in such cases in recent years following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent conflict in Gaza.

Police said additional security would be deployed around Jewish schools, synagogues and community centers ahead of the Passover holiday next month.

The London Fire Brigade said it deployed six fire engines and about 40 firefighters to the scene near a synagogue in Golders Green, where multiple cylinders inside the vehicles exploded, shattering windows in an adjacent apartment block.

The fire was brought under control by 0306 GMT.The ambulances were operated by Hatzola, a not-for-profit volunteer emergency response group serving the Jewish community.

Starmer called the incident “deeply shocking” and said antisemitism had no place in British society. Writing on X, he said his thoughts were with the Jewish community affected by the attack.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also condemned the incident and said police patrols in the area would be increased.

The Metropolitan Police said officers remained at the scene and that the case was being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.

The SITE Intelligence Group reported that an Iran-aligned militant collective calling itself the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand had claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group has allegedly been linked to similar arson incidents targeting Jewish sites in Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands, according to the same source.Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust, said the incident bore “an obvious parallel” to recent anti-Jewish arson attacks in cities including Liege, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

Attacks on Jewish individuals and institutions have risen globally since the October 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. British authorities have also reported a sustained increase in antisemitic incidents during this period.

Starmer said earlier this month that the government would work with both Muslim and Jewish organizations to ensure adequate security at sensitive locations, warning that broader regional conflicts, including tensions involving Iran, risk exacerbating domestic divisions.

Britain has seen several serious incidents in recent years, including a 2025 attack in Manchester in which two Jewish worshippers were killed during Yom Kippur.