London appears to be under attack from arson strikes being masterminded in Tehran, says Britain’s anti-terror laws chief.
Jonathan Hall KC, the UK’s Independent Advisor on Terrorism Legislation, stressed that there are “indications” that a proxy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is behind a series of recent arsons at Jewish sites in the capital.
He believes that Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, may be carrying out the “dirty work” of the Tehran regime by recruiting people in London and other parts of the UK to commit crimes.
The eminent lawyer issued the warning as Scotland Yard said counter-terror police had arrested seven people in relation to an alleged plot to target another Jewish site in London with an arson attack.
The Metropolitan Police said the arrests, all made in the past 48 hours, were in relation to a plot on an unspecified target.
Following the string of recent arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish-linked buildings in London, Mr Hall told Times Radio: “Sabotage is something that is a classic foreign intelligence service tactic.
“We've seen it from Russia during the Ukraine crisis, and it looks as if this is a highly coordinated set of measures that have been taken by Iran against countries that they would see as their adversaries in order to create what they would think of as a cognitive effect.
“In other words, fear, division…tie up resources.”
The anti-terrorism expert added: “I haven't seen the secret intelligence assessment but there are various indications about the way in which the message is being disseminated. It's quite coordinated.
“It comes through a traditional network of sites which are connected with the regime.
“So if you take it on the basis that this is carrying out Iran's dirty work, the question is…What do we do about it?”
He believes the Government should press ahead with legislation to proscribe the IRGC in the UK and that it could also be applied to the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right.
He added: “There are obviously individuals, UK residents, who are willing to go onto a Telegram channel, willing to take the money, go down to a location, for example, synagogue, set a fire.
“Someone will be standing there taking a picture.
“They upload that, that goes back to the organization al-Yamin, and then they break propaganda out of it.”
He believes that proscribing the shadowy group would quickly get the message across to people not to work on its behalf as they could face 14 years in jail.
“The key point is, you want to get the people who are prepared to provide arson for hire to have the fear of God,” Mr Hall argued.
“You want them to know that they are going to be investigated and prosecuted, and the only really effective way of doing that, in my view, is by unlocking the power of the National Security Act, which means it's an offence if you do something which is likely to assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out their work.”
Scotland Yard has warned that the spate of attacks on Jewish sites in London raises the "troubling" prospect of a foreign state using hate crime to sow discord in the UK.
Investigators are working to establish whether Iran has paid British criminals to carry out acts on UK soil, after the series of incidents including an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances and attempted arson attacks at synagogues in Finchley and Kenton and a former Jewish charity in Hendon.
Another incident saw a drone flown near the Israeli embassy in London, and a petrol bomb was thrown towards the site of Volant Media, the parent company of Persian news channel Iran International.
Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, that is suspected to be Iran-backed, has claimed responsibility for most of the incidents, along with other attacks in Europe, since March 9.
Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes said "thugs for hire" are risking long prison sentences for inconsequential amounts of money if they agree to carry out crimes for foreign states.
He gave the example of Dylan Earl, who was jailed for 17 years after agreeing to carry out an arson attack in Leyton, east London, for the Russian-backed Wagner group in 2024.
He also called on social media companies to do more to take down antisemitic posts.
Attorney General Lord Hermer, one of the country's most senior Jewish politicians, said the "full force of the law" would be used against those found responsible for the attacks.
He said: "This campaign of intimidation against the Jewish community will not succeed.
"The Government stands resolute in tackling antisemitism and we will not hesitate to use the full force of the law against perpetrators.
"The United Kingdom is a brilliant, diverse and multicultural society and those who seek to divide us will never win."
So far 15 people have been arrested over the six incidents in London since March 23.
The most recent attack saw a petrol bomb thrown through the window of Kenton United Synagogue at around midnight on Sunday, landing in a medical room.
Jewish charity the Community Security Trust (CST) said that minor smoke damage to an internal room was caused but said there were no injuries or significant structural damage.
Mr Jukes said that a 17-year-old boy and 19-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the incident.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis described the arson attack as "cowardly" and said "a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum".
His statement shared on X said: "This sustained attack on our community's ability to worship and live in safety is an attack on the values that bind us all together."
Video that appears to be published online by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, also known as Hayi, shows a person in dark clothing lighting an item and throwing it at the Kenton United Synagogue before running away.
