Police are seeking two suspects believed to be behind an attempted arson attack on a synagogue in north London.
The Met said two people “wearing dark clothing and balaclavas” approached Finchley Reform Synagogue just after midnight on Wednesday and threw a brick and two bottles suspected to contain petrol at the building.
They said neither bottle ignited, and no damage or injuries were reported. The incident was being treated as an antisemitic hate crime, the force said.
In a statement posted on social media on Wednesday afternoon, the synagogue wrote that “the emotional and psychological impact” of the attempted attack was “significant” to Jews in the community, and that support would be given to those affected.
A spokesperson for the synagogue paid tribute to those protecting its security and added: “We are extremely grateful for the solidarity of our neighbours, local police and politicians. They help us remember that we are a community who would always choose to build bridges rather than walls.”
Sarah Sackman, the MP for Finchley and Golders Green, confirmed the attack and said: “Thankfully no one has been hurt”.
Sackman, who is a member of the nearby New North London Synagogue, described the attack as a “shocking attempt to harm a local synagogue” and said it followed a series of alarming attacks on the Jewish community in her constituency.
“As your local MP, and as a member of the community, I refuse to allow this to become the ‘new normal’,” Sackman said. “British Jews must be free to go about their lives without fear – whether taking their children to nursery or attending synagogue. We do not want to live behind ever higher walls”.
The Community Security Trust, which provides security and support for British Jews and their communities, said it was “supporting the affected location and working closely with the police as they investigate and seek to identify those responsible”.