Two Arrested In Golders Green Memorial Wall Arson Investigation

Metropolitan Police arrested a 46-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman in Romford on 4 May as part of a counter-terrorism investigation into a suspected arson attack on a memorial wall in Golders Green, London. Police said the arrests followed a fire reported on 27 April on Limes Avenue, NW11, near a Jewish community centre.

The Details

The Metropolitan Police said both suspects were arrested on suspicion of arson and taken to a London police station. Police said they remained in custody after the arrests.

According to the Metropolitan Police, the suspected arson attack took place at around 12:15am on 27 April. Police said the fire was reported at about 7:30pm that evening on Limes Avenue in north-west London.

The Guardian reported that the memorial wall, which is near a Jewish community centre in Golders Green, honors protesters allegedly killed by the Iranian state in January. The Guardian reported that the wall was not damaged in the fire.

Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said detectives had been carrying out enquiries since the incident was reported. "We are committed to protecting vulnerable communities in the capital," Flanagan said in the Metropolitan Police statement. "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."

The Guardian and the Metropolitan Police said the arrests sit within a wider series of counter-terrorism investigations into attacks on Jewish-linked and Iranian dissident sites in north-west London. The Guardian reported that police had said 30 arrests and nine charges had been made across related cases.

The Metropolitan Police said the investigation is being handled as a counter-terrorism matter. Police did not name the two people arrested in the statement cited in the fact brief.

Context

The Jerusalem Post reported that the memorial is known as the Eternal Wall and is dedicated to Iranian protesters killed by the Islamic Republic. The Guardian reported that the site is near a Jewish community centre in Golders Green.

The Guardian reported that the suspected arson at the memorial wall followed other recent incidents in north-west London, including the torching of Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green in March. The Guardian and the Metropolitan Police linked the arrests to a broader group of counter-terrorism investigations involving Jewish-linked and Iranian dissident sites in the area.

The Metropolitan Police statement said the current investigation began after the 27 April report of the fire. The agency said the two arrests on 4 May were made in Romford as part of that inquiry.

What's Next

The Metropolitan Police said the two arrested people remained in custody at a London police station. The force said detectives were continuing work tied to the reported arson and the wider counter-terrorism investigation.

Flanagan also issued a public safety appeal in the Metropolitan Police statement. "With the threat level now raised to severe, everyone can play their part to keep themselves and their communities safe," she said. "If you have concerns about someone behaving suspiciously, please report it to us."

No conflicting reports were identified in the fact brief. The case remains tied to the Metropolitan Police investigation into the 27 April fire report and the arrests announced on 4 May.