Moses Edwards was charged with arson at a former East London synagogue, part of a growing wave of attacks on Jewish and Israeli sites in the UK.
A Wanstead man was charged on Tuesday for arson of a former synagogue in London, according to the Metropolitan police, the latest in charges against participants in a wave of attacks on UK Jewish, Israeli, and Iranian dissident sites.
Forty five year old Moses Edwards had been arrested on Sunday alongside a 52-year-old woman, who was released on bail, after suspicion rose of their involvement in the former East London Central Synagogue arson. Minor damage was caused to the building gates, but no one was harmed by the fire.
The synagogue had been in the process of being sold to a local Somali Muslim organization. Acuitus Auctions listed the building as sold in February.
A wave of antisemectic attacks in the UK
Edwards is the ninth charged in relation to the wave of attacks, of which one was convicted. A total of 33 people were reportedly arrested.
The wave of attacks began with the March 23 ambulance arsons in Golders Green. On April 15, suspects attempted to set fire to the Finchley Reform Synagogue. The same day as the Finchley synagogue attack, suspected arsonists threw a burning container into the carpark of the news outlet Iran International, but the fire died out on its own.
A building that once was the premises of a Jewish group, still with the organization's name on the window, was the target of an arson attempt on April 17. Three bottles containing accelerants were placed next to a building and set alight. The bottles failed to fully ignite, but minor damage was caused to the shopfront. The same day a burning container was thrown into the carpark of Iran International's office. On April 19, the Kenton United Synagogue was firebombed, causing minor smoke damage to a room, but no injuries. On April 27, arsonists set a fire at the Golders Green memorial wall for Iranian protesters.
Most of the attacks were claimed by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, with the most high profile being the Golder Green stabbing attack last Wednesday, in which a 45 year old Somali born terrorist wounded two people before being subdued by police and Jewish neighborhood watch volunteers.
