Attempted arson attack on Finchley Reform Synagogue in London

Two suspects wearing balaclavas threw petrol bottles and a brick at Finchley Reform Synagogue in north London shortly after midnight on April 15, 2026.

The bottles did not ignite, and no injuries or damage were reported.

The Metropolitan Police are treating the incident as an antisemitic hate crime and are actively hunting the two suspects.

They fled the scene in a car captured on CCTV.

Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward with any relevant information, including CCTV or dashcam footage.

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, leading the investigation, acknowledged the significant concern this incident has caused within the community, especially following a recent arson attack on ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in nearby Golders Green.

The investigation is supported by Counter Terrorism Policing London.

The Finchley Reform Synagogue, which also houses a nursery and provides community services such as a homeless shelter and a safe space for refugees, was not damaged in the attack.

Cantor Zoë Jacobs described the petrol bombing as an attempt to intimidate the British Jewish community but affirmed that the community will not be deterred by such acts.

Local MP Sarah Sackman condemned the attack as part of a series of alarming incidents targeting Jewish residents in Finchley and Golders Green.

She emphasized that British Jews must be able to live without fear and rejected the notion that such attacks should become the "new normal." The Community Security Trust, a charity monitoring antisemitism in the UK, is supporting the synagogue and working closely with police.

The attack follows a series of antisemitic incidents in the UK, including an arson attack on Jewish ambulances in March 2026 and a deadly synagogue attack in Manchester in October 2025.

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