A man has been charged after a former synagogue, which a Muslim group is hoping to turn into a mosque, was firebombed in Tower Hamlets.
The attack on the former East London Central Synagogue on Nelson Street occurred on May 5, with police called to the scene after reports of a fire.
The building is currently vacant, and has been so for six years, so nobody was injured, but some damage was caused to the front gates.
Following the incident, which was investigated by Counter Terror Police, police have charged Moses Edwards, 45, with arson with intent to endanger life.
Also arrested was a 52-year-old woman who has since been released on bail. Edwards will be appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later today.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “Police were called at 5.16am on Tuesday, May 5, by the London Fire Brigade to reports of a fire at a former synagogue in Nelson Street, E1, 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. No one was injured.
“CCTV enquiries indicated that the fire was started intentionally at around 5.10am. Given the nature and location of the incident, the investigation has been led by Counter Terrorism Policing London.
“The former synagogue is in the process of being sold to a local Somali Muslim organisation.”
The century-old synagogue, which closed down in 2020, received a bid earlier this year from the Ashaadibi group, which put down a deposit of £235,000.
The guide price of the synagogue is £2m, but the group is currently trying to raise £3m in order to renovate the site once they have bought it.
The group has said that the site would provide a “suitable home” where all its services could “flourish together under one roof” and “create new opportunities for growth, connection, and impact”.
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