Eight arrests made by Counter Terrorism Policing London

Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) officers investigating a series of incidents including several arson attacks in London have made a further eight arrests.

Seven of these arrests, carried out in the past 48 hours, are part of a proactive investigation into alleged conspiracy to commit arson.

At this time, while it is believed that the intended target of this conspiracy is a venue related to the Jewish community, the specific target or venue is not known.

Detectives from CTP London arrested three men, aged 24, 25 and 26, in Harpenden shortly after 21.00hrs on Sunday, 19 April. They were taken into custody before being released on bail.

On Monday, 20 April, a 25-year-old man was arrested in Stevenage. A 26-year-old man, and two women, aged 50 and 59, were also arrested in a car near Birmingham. They have all been taken to a London police station where they currently remain in custody.

This morning (Tuesday, 21 April), a 39-year-old man was arrested at an address in Ealing under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and taken into custody. This arrest was connected to a CTP London investigation following the discovery of jars of a non-hazardous substance in Kensington Gardens on Friday, 17 April.

As part of this investigation, a search is ongoing at a premises in east London.

Since the attack on the Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green on 23 March, CTP officers have now arrested a total of 23 people. Eight people have been charged with arson-related offences, while 13 people remain in custody or on bail under active police investigation.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the Senior National Co-ordinator of Counter Terrorism Policing, said: “We’ve made very clear that we will be relentless in our pursuit of anyone involved in carrying out or planning these arson attacks.

“Our message is clear, we will not tolerate this intimidation of our communities, and will pursue those responsible. One of our key lines of inquiry is whether criminal proxies – that is to say people being paid money to carry out a crime, are being used to commit any of these arsons.

“While our investigations into this are still ongoing, my message to anyone even considering getting involved in this type of activity is this, the stakes are high and it is absolutely not worth the risk.

“When we identify you, we will seek to prosecute you. This will include considering offences under the National Security Act which comes with a significant sentence and lifetime restrictions.

“We will not rest until all those responsible for these acts are held to full account.

" 'As well as making arrests, Counter Terrorism Policing resources have also been deployed in north west London to support the significant Met police operation to help deter further attacks and provide reassurance to Jewish places of worship and businesses.'

“I would like to thank our communities for their support as we investigate these crimes, and would urge the public to be alert to anything which doesn’t feel right and report it to us.”