Seven Arrested Over Alleged Arson Plot Targeting Jewish Community

Seven people have been arrested over an alleged plan to commit an arson attack targeting the Jewish community, the Metropolitan Police has said. Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing London arrested three men aged 24, 25 and 26 in Harpenden on Sunday. They were later released on police bail. On Monday, a 25-year-old man was arrested in Stevenage, while a 26-year-old man and two women aged 50 and 59 were arrested in a car in Birmingham on Monday. They remain in custody at a London police station. Separately, a 39-year-old man was arrested in Ealing on Tuesday under the Terrorism Act, in connection with an investigation into jars of a non-hazardous substance found in Kensington Gardens on 17 April. He remains in custody. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the senior national co-ordinator of Counter Terrorism Policing, said: "We've made very clear that we will be relentless in our pursuit of anyone involved in carrying out or planning these arson attacks." She added that officers were investigating a "key line of inquiry" into the use criminal proxies - people being paid money to carry out these arsons. Evans said: "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."