London
British counterterrorism police arrested eight people in connection with an investigation into suspected arson attacks in London, together with a foiled plot to doubtlessly goal a venue associated to the Jewish group, police mentioned Tuesday.
Seven of the arrests, carried out throughout the final 48 hours, are a part of what police known as “a proactive investigation into alleged conspiracy to commit arson.”
“At this time, while it is believed that the intended target of this conspiracy is a venue related to the Jewish community, the specific target or venue is not known,” London’s Metropolitan Police mentioned in an announcement.
Arrests had been carried out in the English cities of Harpenden and Stevenage, and close to town of Birmingham, in addition to the west London suburb of Ealing.
Police mentioned that for the reason that March 23 arson assault in the Golders Green neighborhood of London, in which a number of ambulances belonging to a Jewish volunteer rescue group had been set on hearth exterior a synagogue, a complete of eight people have been charged with arson-related offences and 13 people stay in police custody or on bail underneath investigation.
“Our message is clear, we will not tolerate this intimidation of our communities, and will pursue those responsible,” mentioned Vicki Evans, the police’s senior nationwide coordinator of counterterrorism policing.
“One of our key lines of inquiry is whether criminal proxies – that is to say people being paid money to carry out a crime, are being used to commit any of these arsons,” Evans added.