Counter-terrorism officers in London have arrested a 45-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman over a suspected arson attack at a former synagogue in Tower Hamlets, with investigators alleging the blaze was deliberately started in the early hours of May 5.
The fire caused minor damage to gates and a lock at the Nelson Street property, which was reportedly being sold to a Somali Muslim organisation, though no injuries were reported.
Authorities said the case was handed to Counter Terrorism Policing London because of the building’s religious significance and wider concerns over attacks linked to Jewish, Israeli and Iranian sites in recent weeks.
Police leaders condemned the incident as a hate-driven attack that had alarmed multiple faith communities, while synagogue representatives described the firebombing as deeply disturbing following earlier pro-Palestinian graffiti incidents targeting the site.
Two arrested as cops give major update on ‘arson attack’ at former synagoguehttps://t.co/Uyx5Vy86JV pic.twitter.com/2PTArgEW91
— Mirror Breaking News (@MirrorBreaking_) May 10, 2026
When I lived in London a few years back I was walking down the road in Bayswater where a synagogue is and noticed a guy jumping into the boot of a car parked at the entrance and closing the lid. A surveillance operator no doubt to supplement London’s extensive CCTV network.
Meanwhile muslim child groomers go free.