Recent Attacks on Jewish Sites in the UK: Warning Issued Amid Rising Arson and Plots Against Institutions

The U.S. Embassy in London has issued a travel security alert urging Americans to exercise increased caution near Jewish and American institutions in the United Kingdom and Europe following a series of antisemitic attacks.

The alert, issued on Friday, April 25, 2026, specifically references recent attacks and threats targeting Jewish and American institutions across the U.K. And Europe. U.S. Citizens, particularly those visiting institutions serving Jewish or American interests, are advised to remain alert and exercise increased caution.

The embassy further advised Americans to remain alert while visiting tourist and expat areas and houses of worship, review personal security plans, and check local media for updates. Concerned citizens can also enroll in the State Department’s Safe Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive travel and security updates.

The advisory follows a series of recent antisemitic incidents in the U.K. And Europe, including an arson attack on four ambulances linked to a Jewish charity in London on March 23, 2026, an April 18 attack on the Kenton United Synagogue in London, and a March explosion at a Jewish school in Amsterdam that authorities described as a “targeted attack against the Jewish community.”

British counterterrorism police are investigating what they described as “linked arson attacks” in northwest London against Jewish sites and properties with ties to Israel. The Metropolitan Police stated that an Islamic group that police said may have links to Iran has claimed responsibility for several attacks in recent months, as well as others across Europe.

Matt Jukes, the deputy commissioner for the Metropolitan Police, said in a statement that authorities are seeing “a concerted campaign against Londoners, and specifically, against British Jews.” Vicki Evans, Britain’s senior national coordinator of counterterrorism policing, said the police were looking into “the threat of Iranian state aggression in the U.K.,” noting the evolving conflict across the Middle East, which intensified in late February when the United States and Israel attacked Iran.

She identified the group as Ashab al-Yamin, which she said translates to Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right. The police statement was prompted by an arson attempt at a synagogue overnight from Saturday to Sunday, April 18-19, 2026.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the March 23 ambulance arson attack in the Golders Green area of north London as an “antisemitic arson attack.” Metropolitan Police said on Monday, March 23, 2026, that four ambulances were set on fire in what they are treating as an antisemitic hate crime. The ambulances belonged to Hatzola, a Jewish community organization.

The U.S. Embassy in London notes that no one was injured in the Amsterdam Jewish school explosion, but the school was damaged. Similar to other recent incidents, the March 23 London ambulance attack and the April 18 synagogue attack resulted in property damage but no reported injuries.