Two men and one teenage boy charged over attempted arson attack at media organisation in London

Two men and one teenage boy charged over attempted arson attack at media organisation in London

Related: Keith Black responds to the Golders Green arson attack after a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer

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GB News

Oliver Partridge

By Oliver Partridge


Published: 17/04/2026

- 08:51

Updated: 17/04/2026

- 09:21

One faces an additional charge of dangerous driving in connection with the incident

Three individuals have been charged of arson with intent to endanger life following an attack on a media organisation in north west London earlier this week.

Oisin McGuinness, 21, from Watford, Nathan Dunn, 19, also from Watford, and a 16-year-old boy from north London are all due before Westminster Magistrates' Court today.


All three defendants are British nationals, and McGuinness faces an additional charge of dangerous driving in connection with the incident.

The charges follow an attack on a Persian-language media premises on Wednesday, which prompted a police pursuit and subsequent arrests.

Police were alerted to the incident at approximately 8.30pm, when an ignited container was hurled at the premises.

The makeshift device landed in a car park area, where the flames extinguished themselves without causing any injuries.

Officers quickly established that those responsible had fled the scene in a black SUV, where an Armed Response Vehicle patrolling nearby spotted a matching vehicle and gave chase.

The pursuit ended when the SUV crashed on Ballards Lane near its junction with Woodberry Gardens in the N12 postcode.

\u200bThe vehicle crashed near Ballards Lane, across from the junction with Woodberry GardensThe vehicle crashed near Ballards Lane, across from the junction with Woodberry Gardens | GOOGLE MAPS

The three males were detained at the scene on suspicion of arson endangering life before being taken into custody and subsequently charged following Crown Prosecution Service authorisation.

No lasting damage was reported at the site.

A number of buildings nearby were evacuated as a precaution, however it was quickly established there was no wider risk.

The attack is not being treated as a terrorist incident, but is being investigated by detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing London, supported by officers from the North West Command Area.

In a statement, the media channel said: "At around 8.15 pm, a suspicious vehicle was denied entry at the main entrance to our site.

"Shortly afterwards, incendiary devices were thrown into the car park of a neighbouring building, just metres from our studios.

"Our security team responded immediately, and the police and fire brigade arrived shortly afterwards.

"We are grateful to them for their swift response."

At this stage, the Met Police does not believe the incident is linked to the attempted arson in Finchley this week or last month’s arson in Golders Green.