Man is arrested ‘after Molotov cocktail is thrown’ near synagogue in north London as police say incident ‘is not linked to anti-Semitism’
- Police have shut down Golders Green Road in the north west of the capital today
- Councillor Alex Prager tweeted it ‘appears to have involved a Molotov cocktail’
- Police arrested a man over ‘a number of offences’ but ‘no one has been injured’
- Shocking footage shows firefighters battling small fire as police run down road
A man has been arrested after reportedly throwing a Molotov cocktail near a synagogue in London.
Police shut down Golders Green Road in the north of the capital and other emergency services raced to the scene.
Officers detained the man but said no one had been injured during the incident near The Golders Green Beth Hamedrash Congregation Synagogue.
Footage shows firefighters battling a small fire as people can be heard discussing whether it was caused by a petrol bomb.
Police have shut down Golders Green Road in the north of the capital and other emergency services are on the scene
The Jewish News reported that police do not believe that the incident is related to terror or anti-Semitism.
Councillor for West Hendon Alex Prager tweeted: ‘Police and fire brigade on site. Appears to have involved a Molotov cocktail next to a synagogue on The Riding.’
One man said: ‘Why did he wait all that time to throw that little bottle?’ Dozens of police and firemen can be seen running down the road.
A witness told Jewish News: ‘There were lots of police of different varieties and a chopper going overheard.
‘The road has been cordoned off from Ravenscroft to Be Kosher and we have seen riot police and numerous unmarked cars.
Footage shows firefighters battling a small fire as people can be heard discussing whether it was caused by a petrol bomb
‘The police have said it is a ‘life and death situation’ but we have not heard more information.’
And Peter Phillips told the Ham and High: ‘We saw all the emergency vehicles turn up. Fire brigade, ambulance, must have been about 15 police vehicles.
‘We saw the first two police cars turn up and people rushed out of an upstairs flat pointing after a car that had sped off, they went straight after him.’
The Community Security Trust, a charity helping UK Jews with security and antisemitism, said it was aware of the incident.
It added in a tweet: ‘CST is aware of an ongoing incident in Golders Green that emergency services are attending and appear to have contained.
‘We are working with police to determine the nature of the incident, which is currently unclear. Please avoid the area whilst the police manage the situation.’
Councillor for West Hendon Alex Prager tweeted: ‘Police and fire brigade on site. Appears to have involved a Molotov cocktail next to a synagogue on The Riding’
Police said: ‘Police were called at 12.28 to The Riding #GoldersGreen #NW11 to a report of a concern for safety.
‘Officers attended and found a man with a vehicle. The man is believed to have set fire to an object before being detained.
‘No members of the public or officers are believed to have been injured. Enquiries are ongoing.
‘The man was arrested on suspicion of a number of offences. As a precaution, nearby roads have been closed.’