Man and woman arrested on suspicion of arson after fire at Golders Green memorial wall

The Metropolitan Police said a 46-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life after a fire broke out at a memorial wall in Golders Green, north London, on April 27.

The memorial wall was built in memory of the thousands of protesters killed in January’s crackdown in Iran and is located near a Jewish center.

A section of the wall is dedicated to those killed in Hamas’ attack on the Nova music festival in Israel in 2023, while a more recent declaration of solidarity for the Jewish community is pinned to a nearby tree following the latest attacks.

The arrests are part of an ongoing Counter Terrorism Police (CTP) investigation following an arson attack on a memorial wall on Limes Boulevard at around 12.15am on April 27.

It is one of a series of anti-Semitic arson attacks in the area being investigated by police in recent weeks.

Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of CTP London, said: “We are committed to protecting vulnerable communities across the capital. Detectives have been carrying out extensive investigations since this incident was reported to us last week and these two arrests are the result of that hard work.”

The incident follows the stabbing and wounding of two Jewish men by Somali-born British citizen Essa Suleiman, 45, in Golders Green on Wednesday.

The incident was declared a terrorist attack by the Counter Terrorism Police, which conducted the investigation. The country’s terrorism threat level has since been raised to serious, meaning a terrorist attack is “highly likely”.

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