Bomb Fear At London Shul

The find was revealed in a BBC investigation into radical Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir, during which Newsnight reporter Richard Watson was informed that a source close to the group had uncovered a plot to attack an unspecified synagogue. However, he was unable to verify the claim.

The Community Security Trust confirmed yesterday that it was working with the police in response to the incident.

Head of Communications Mark Gardner told TJ: “There was a threat to Croydon Synagogue, involving the possibility of petrol bombs or similar devices. The CST was aware of this threat and worked with local police and Scotland Yard to ensure the safety of the synagogue and its occupants. Local synagogue security teams were also alerted to enhance security at nearby premises.”

But he added that the CST had “no specific knowledge regarding the allegation that Hizb ut-Tahrir, or associated activists, were responsible for the threat to the synagogue”.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “On Saturday 4 November police discovered a number of suspicious items in a woodland area off Shirley Oaks Road, Croydon. Officers from the Croydon Community Safety Unit have launched an inquiry.

“In a separate incident on 11 November, more items were found in the same area. This is also being investigated. There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.”

Neither the Federation of Synagogues nor Croydon & District Synagogue wished to comment on the matter.

The revelation came less than a week after the outside walls of South London Liberal Synagogue in Streatham were defaced with bloody images of Palestinian casualties of an IDF missile attack. The incident came on the 68th anniversary of Kristallnacht.

The photographs had been taken from the Wednesday edition of the Guardian, enlarged and laminated before being plastered on the shul building. Ironically, they were discovered by members of an interfaith group meeting at the synagogue on Thursday morning

The shul’s minister, Rabbi James Baaden, said he believed that the vandals were unaware of the significance of the date.

He told TJ: “Plenty of Jews in this synagogue have worked for peace and justice in the Middle East – as long as there has been a State of Israel. Plenty of members of this community have devoted themselves to friendly ties with other religions – ironically, it was people attending an interfaith meeting who reported the pictures to me. And plenty of Jews here and elsewhere have deplored military actions resulting in civilian deaths – such as just took place in Gaza.

“My guess is that all of this means absolutely nothing to the people who stuck up these posters. They simply hate Jews and they want to tell the world that we here in Prentis Road are the murderers of innocent Palestinian women and children. But given the Kristallnacht anniversary, yes, I do wonder – what’s next?”