KENSINGTON GARDENS reopened after police said they found no hazardous substances in items discovered near London’s Israeli embassy, following an investigation into an online claim that the site had been targeted by drones.
The pro-Iranian group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, or Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand of Islam, had posted a video that included footage of drones along with two figures dressed in protective clothing and a message that the Israeli embassy in London was being targeted.
Police increased their presence in the area and put cordons in place, closing public access to Kensington Gardens and nearby locations during the investigation.
“While the Embassy of Israel was not attacked, we continue to work closely with the Embassy and its security team to keep the site safe and secure," a commander of counter-terrorism policing in London said.
“Although the items found have been assessed as being non-hazardous, we continue to investigate whether they may have any link to the online video," police said.
In a separate development, UK counter-terrorism police are investigating an arson attack on a London building that was formerly used by a Jewish charity, following similar incidents in recent weeks.
No one was injured in the fire late on Friday in Hendon in northwest London, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement, without specifying the premises targeted.
Officers were seen outside an empty office that still contained the sign Jewish Futures, an educational organisation.
"We are aware of what appears to be another attempted arson, this time targeting a premises in north London previously used by the Jewish community," the Community Security Trust charity said in a statement.
"It caused minimal damage to a nearby doorway and no injuries."
Police said they were called shortly after 10:30 pm (2130 GMT) on Friday after a man was seen approaching a row of shops carrying a plastic bag later found to contain three bottles with "fluid".
He placed the bag by a building and lit the items inside, but when they failed to fully ignite, he fled the scene. The shopfront sustained minor damage and no arrests have been made.
The incident follows the arrest of two people over a separate arson attack on a synagogue in nearby Finchley on Wednesday, amid a rise in antisemitic incidents in Britain.
In late March, four Jewish community ambulances were set on fire in Golders Green, also in north London.
"At this stage, last night's arson is not being linked to other incidents in the north-west London area over the last week or last month's arson in Golders Green, but counter-terrorism officers are leading due to the similarities of each attack," Helen Flanagan of the Met's counter-terrorism unit said in a statement.
On Wednesday evening, a burning object was thrown towards the offices of Persian media outlet Iran International, which is critical of Iran's clerical leadership. It landed in a car park and no one was injured.
Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), which has links to Iran, claimed responsibility for that incident as well as the attacks on the synagogue and ambulances, according to SITE Intelligence Group. The group has previously claimed similar attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.
(With inputs from agencies)
