British synagogues on alert for Iran-backed 'revenge' terror attacks following Israeli strikes
Britain's Jewish community was urged to be on heightened alert last night amid fears of terrorist 'revenge' attacks following Israel 's strike against Iran.
Synagogues have stepped up security while communities were warned to 'avoid displaying Jewish or Israeli symbols in public spaces'.
The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity set up to protect British Jews, said it was stepping up efforts at synagogues, schools and community buildings.
A spokesman said: 'Our security measures have been at a very high level since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel, with the deep threat from Iran being central to our planning and our operations. We will intensify our efforts, including our partnerships with the police, government and across Britain's Jewish community.'
CST said it has no 'specific intelligence' of an extremist attack being planned.
But it 'strongly requests that our community be vigilant and follows the strict security measures that are in place at communal buildings, events and areas' because 'Iran has long used terrorism against Jews and Israelis around the world'.
It said the 'overall level of risk has been unusually high' since the October 7, 2023, outrage in southern Israel, when Hamas killed 1,195 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 hostages.
Israel's national security council said it was likely that 'terrorist elements' would 'seek to carry out acts of revenge against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world, including civilians'.
Security officials have warned over the past few years of the increased threat from Iran and acknowledged that international tensions could result in violence on British streets.
On its website, the CST advised the Jewish community to be extra vigilant about securing gates and doors, reporting suspicious individuals, monitoring cars and people in the vicinity and avoiding congregating outside buildings. It is understood that Metropolitan Police officers are conducting 'reassurance visits' to Iranian and Jewish groups to ease community tensions.
The warning came as pro-Palestine protesters marched through London yesterday, chanting 'stop bombing Iran'.
Large crowds gathered in Parliament Square waving Palestinian and Iranian flags, while also demanding an end to the bombing in Gaza. Protesters urged the
Government to halt all military support for Israel and lobby the country to de-escalate its actions in the Middle East.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign announced an emergency protest earlier in the week. In a post on X, the group shared a video which showed a large crowd chanting outside Parliament.
A post read: 'Thousands in Parliament Square demanding our government stop arming Israel and pressure it to stop bombing Iran and end its genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.'
Protesters also held placards which read 'don't attack Iran' amid other banners which read 'stop arming Israel' and 'ceasefire now'.
After Israel's latest strikes, its London embassy and Israeli missions around the world were closed. Israel's foreign ministry is recommending that all Israeli citizens overseas fill out a form detailing their whereabouts, in what appears to be a precaution in case evacuations are necessary.
The National Security Council advised Israelis abroad to avoid advertising their identity and to refrain from posting on social media information that might give away their location or their travel plans.
Britain has recorded thousands of anti-Semitic incidents since the outbreak of war with Hamas.
The CST said security measures have been at a high level for more than 18 months.
Since January 2022 in the UK, police and MI5 are reported to have disrupted more than 20 Tehran-linked assassination and kidnap plots in Britain. They have been focused on Iranian citizens.
However, in October the head of MI5 Sir Ken McCallum warned that Iran could focus on UK targets if Tehran felt Britain had become a party to the conflict in the Middle East by supporting Israel.
Iran could 'repurpose' its criminal proxies in the UK, ranging from international drug traffickers to 'low-level crooks', to attack Britons if hostilities escalated with Israel, he said.
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