Counter terror police arrest 8 people across England over alleged plot to commit arson attacks

Susanna Siddell
Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:15:59 +0000

Counter terror police have arrested eight people over a series of suspected arson attacks, including several in London.

Counter Terror Police officers are carrying out investigations into a number of incidents - some of which have taken place across the capital in recent weeks.

Seven arrests, carried out in the past 48 hours, make up part of a proactive investigation into an alleged conspiracy to commit arson, the Metropolitan Police confirmed.

The force said it was believed the intended target of the conspiracy was a venue related to the Jewish community.

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However, the specific target or venue remains unknown.

In the wake of the arrests, Sir Keir Starmer vowed the Government "won’t relent in our fight against antisemitism and terror".

Detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing have arrested three men, aged 24, 25 and 26, in Harpenden just after 9pm on Sunday, April 19.

The trio were taken into custody and later released on bail.

Yesterday, a 25-year-old man was arrested in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.

Meanwhile, three others, including a 26-year-old man and two women, aged 50 and 59, were arrested near Birmingham.

All four have been taken to a London police station and remain in custody.

This morning, a 39-year-old was arrested at an Ealing address under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

The man was subsequently taken into custody.

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This arrest was made in connection with a CTP London investigation after jars containing a non-hazardous substance were discovered in Kensington Gardens, near the Israeli embassy, last Friday.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the Senior National Co-ordinator of Counter Terrorism Policing, vowed her team would be "relentless" in their pursuit of anyone involved in carrying out or planning the suspected arson attacks.

Ms Evans said: "Our message is clear, we will not tolerate this intimidation of our communities, and will pursue those responsible."

She added that one of her force's "key lines of inquiry" was into whether criminal proxies, who are paid money to carry out a crime, were behind any of the alleged arson attacks.

"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," she warned.

She said: "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."

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that Counter Terrorism Policing resources have also been deployed in north west London to support their "significant" operation to help ward off further attacks as well as to 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," Ms Evans added.