U.K. counter-terror police investigate arson at ex-London synagogue

World U.K. counter-terror police investigate arson at former London synagogue as prime minister issues warning to Iran By Frank Andrews Frank Andrews Journalist Frank Andrews is a CBS News journalist based in London. Read Full Bio Frank Andrews May 5, 2026 / 7:56 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google London - British counter-terror police have launched a probe into the latest arson attack targeting the capital's Jewish community after a fire was started at a former east London synagogue early Tuesday, the Metropolitan police said in a statement.Surveillance video shows that "the fire was started intentionally … and the incident is being treated as arson," the statement read. There were no injuries and no one has been arrested.The incident came as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with community groups, government ministers and police chiefs Tuesday to discuss ways to respond to the "crisis" of antisemitic violence in London.  Police and fire officers outside the former East London Central Synagogue on Nelson Street in Whitechapel, east London, on Tuesday May 5, 2026, where Counter Terrorism Policing London are investigating an arson incident Lucy North/PA Images via Getty Images Last week, two Jewish men were stabbed in the north of the capital, while several synagogues and Jewish sites have been the target of a string of antisemitic attacks in London since March."One of the lines of inquiry is whether a foreign state has been behind some of these incidents," Starmer told the gathering Tuesday.A group believed to be linked to Iran called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, or The Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Righteous, has claimed responsibility for the recent antisemitic attacks in Britain – and several more in other European countries – over the past few months."Our message to Iran or to any other country that might seek to promote violence, hatred or division in society is that it will not be tolerated," the prime...