Fire erupts at former synagogue in Tower Hamlets as terror police launch probe

A fire erupted at a former synagogue in London this morning, with counter terror police investigating. Jewish security charity Shomrim said that fire crews were called out to the building in Nelson Street, Whitechapel, east London, in the early hours of Tuesday. The incident is being investigated alongside a number of apparent attacks on Jewish sites in London since late March. The Metropolitan Police said officers were called just before 5.15am by the London Fire Brigade, and that minor damage had been caused to a set of gates and a lock at the front of the building. CCTV showed that the fire had ben started deliberately minutes before, the force said. The Metropolitan Police said: "Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London are investigating a further arson incident at a former synagogue in east London. "Police were called at 05:16hrs on Tuesday, 5 May by the London Fire Brigade to reports of a fire at a former synagogue in Nelson Street, Tower Hamlets. "Officers were quickly on scene with firefighters. Minor damage was caused to a set of gates and a lock at the front of the building and no reports of any persons injured. "Initial CCTV enquiries indicate that the fire was started intentionally at approximately 05:10hrs and the incident is being treated as arson. Given the nature of the incident and the location being a former synagogue, the incident is being investigated by Counter Terrorism Policing London. There have been no arrests at this time." This is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link . You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News , Flipboard , Apple News , TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage .