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Two arrested over arson attack at London memorial wall

Fire damage to a cabinet beside the memorial wall on Limes Avenue in Golders Green, north west London
Fire damage to a cabinet beside the memorial wall on Limes Avenue in Golders Green, north west London

British police arrested two people in connection with an arson attack on a memorial wall in a north London area that is home to a large Jewish community.

A man, 46, and a woman, 38, were arrested in relation to the incident, which counter-terrorism officers are investigating, on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, the police said in ‌a statement.

The wall ⁠contains pictures of protesters who were allegedly killed by the Iranian state in January, the statement added.

The incident on 27 April, which followed arson attacks on Jewish targets, took place in Golders Green, where ambulances belonging to Jewish ‌volunteer emergency service, Hatzola, were torched last month.

Police have said they are investigating possible Iran ⁠links to the arson attacks.

The stabbing of two Jewish ‌men in the same area last week has heightened concerns about ⁠the ‌community's safety, prompting the government to raise the national terrorism threat level to "severe" from "substantial".

Counter terrorism officers in the British capital are working on a number ⁠of investigations into incidents that have taken place in northwest London since ⁠the ambulance attack in March, police said.

A total of 30 arrests have been made and nine people have been charged since the March incident, in what police described as "the most intensive set of community operations it has ever run", the ‌statement said.