HENDON, LONDON — U.K. counterterrorism police are investigating an attempted arson attack late Friday on a building in Hendon, London, that was formerly used by a Jewish charity. Police were called to the scene shortly after 10:30 p.m.

A man was spotted approaching a row of shops carrying a plastic bag, which he placed by the building before lighting the items inside. The bag contained three bottles of fluid. When the bottles failed to fully ignite, the man fled the scene. No one was injured. Photos showed a sign for the education organization Jewish Futures still visible in the building's window.

Helen Flanagan, a member of the Metropolitan Police's counterterrorism unit, addressed the investigation's scope. "The Hendon attack is not being linked to other incidents in north-west London, but the unit is leading the investigation due to the similarities of each attack," she said. Police said the community can expect to see a heightened law enforcement presence in the area.

The Community Security Trust, a charity that provides safety advice to Jewish groups, commented on the incident. "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 organization said. It added that "the fire caused minimal damage to a nearby doorway."

Two people were arrested on Wednesday in connection with a separate arson attack on a North London synagogue. In late March, four Jewish community ambulances were torched in the Golders Green area of north London. Hamza Iqbal, 20; Rehan Khan, 19; and a 17-year-old of dual British-Pakistani nationality, all from east London, were charged with arson and taken into custody in connection with the Golders Green ambulance fire.

Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, a little-known group with links to Iran, claimed responsibility for the attempted arson at the Iran International offices and for arson attacks on a North London synagogue and on Jewish community ambulances, according to SITE Intelligence Group. The group has previously claimed similar attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands. The Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom in 2025, the second-highest total ever reported to the organization.