Three people, including a 16-year-old boy, have been charged over an attempted arson attack on a Persian-language media outlet in north-west London.A lit container was allegedly thrown at the offices of Iran International parent company Volant Media in Wembley on Wednesday night, according to the Metropolitan Police.The device landed in a nearby parking lot and the fire extinguished itself. No injuries or property damage were reported, but nearby buildings were briefly evacuated as a precaution.
Three arrested after police chase
The defendants, Oisin McGuinness, 21, Nathan Dunn, 19, and a teenage boy were arrested after their black SUV crashed during a police pursuit in Finchley.McGuinness also faces an additional charge of dangerous driving. All three are British nationals and will appear in court.While counterterrorism officials are working on the case, authorities have not classified it as a terrorist incident.Police said they were keeping an “open door” as to the motive, although they were investigating possible links to rising racial and religious tensions in the UK.The attempted attack came against the backdrop of a series of similar incidents in north London, including:
- Arson attack at Finchley synagogue
- A previous attack destroyed a Jewish charity ambulance
Authorities clarified that the cases were being treated as separate cases, but their nature and location prompted a coordinated investigation.The Met said it was aware that Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, an Islamist group with links to Iran, had claimed responsibility for the latest attacks.However, officials have not confirmed any direct link between the organization and the Wembley incident.
