A man has pleaded guilty to an arson attack at a memorial wall in Golders Green.
Ali Fallahi, 46, from Ilford, east London, appeared before Harrow Crown Court on Friday, where he entered his guilty plea to the single count of arson.
He was said to have started a fire at the site in Limes Avenue on April 27, sparking an investigation by counter-terrorism police.
It was alleged that Fallahi damaged by fire a memorial cabinet belonging to advocacy group Miga Rally, intending to destroy or damage it or being reckless as to whether it would be destroyed or damaged.
The memorial wall was established by the group as a tribute to thousands of protesters killed in a regime crackdown in Iran in January.
A section of the wall is also dedicated to those killed in the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival in Israel on October 7.
The fire is said to have been started at around 12.15 am in a cabinet which sits next to the wall.
Miga Rally said the blaze was spotted and quickly extinguished, and did not spread to the wall itself.
After the incident, the group released a statement, saying: “The memorial wall is a peaceful place of remembrance, documenting lives lost and ensuring victims are not forgotten.
“Any attempt to damage or desecrate such a site is deeply troubling and an attack on the values of remembrance, dignity and community cohesion.
“We hope those responsible will be identified and held accountable.”
The Metropolitan Police said Fallahi is a dual British and Iranian national.
Judge John Lodge granted Fallahi conditional bail until his sentencing hearing at Harrow Crown Court on October 16.
He ordered that a pre-sentence report be carried out so he could know more about the defendant.
Addressing Fallahi, the judge said: “The next hearing will be on October 16.
“Until then you remain on bail as before.”
He told Fallahi he had pleaded guilty to a “serious offence”.
The judge warned that although he had granted bail, he was not giving “any promise or indication about sentence”.
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