London police arrest two in connection with memorial-wall arson in Jewish area

British police on Monday arrested a 46-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman in connection with an April 27 attack on a memorial wall in Golders Green, a north London neighborhood with a significant Jewish population.

The suspects were detained on suspicion of arson, and the case is being handled by counter-terrorism officers. The memorial wall reportedly features images of protesters allegedly killed by the Iranian regime in January, Reuters reported.

The April 27 incident follows a series of attacks targeting Jewish-linked sites in the area since the setting ablaze of four ambulances belonging to the Hatzola Jewish group in Golders Green on March 23.

Tensions have escalated further after two Jewish men were stabbed in the same neighborhood on April 29, raising concerns about community safety. In response, the British government increased the national terrorism threat level from “substantial” to “severe.”

That attack, which targeted a 76-year-old and a 34-year-old, was “formally been declared a terrorist incident,” Metropolitan Police said.

Police said counter-terrorism units are pursuing multiple investigations tied to incidents across northwest London since the March ambulance attack. Authorities have made 30 arrests and filed charges against nine individuals, describing the effort as “the most intensive set of community operations” they have undertaken, according to Reuters.