"Hybrid Warfare Suspected"... Attacks on Jewish Community Continue in UK

Incidents Targeting Jewish Community and Iranian Dissidents
Six Cases Reported in the UK Within a Month
"Possibility of Hybrid Warfare"
"Youths May Have Been Exposed to Crime via Social Media"

In London, a series of arson and assault incidents targeting the Jewish community and Iranian dissidents have prompted authorities to investigate the possibility of a 'hybrid warfare' campaign orchestrated by foreign proxy forces.

On the 23rd of last month (local time), after an arson incident occurred in a Jewish ambulance in London, UK, the police blocked a road in London. Photo by AP News Agency

According to Yonhap News on April 21, the BBC reported that "the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command is currently investigating six incidents that have occurred in the past month, including the arson of an ambulance belonging to a Jewish medical volunteer group on March 23, an attempted arson attack on a synagogue on April 15, and an attempted arson at a Persian-language media office on the same day." Police also arrested and are questioning a 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man on suspicion of throwing a bottle containing flammable liquid through the window of a synagogue on April 18.

Some of these incidents have been claimed by a mysterious group. This group, calling itself 'Ashab al-Yamin' or 'Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya,' first appeared online on March 9. Through a Telegram channel believed to be linked to pro-Iranian militant groups, the organization has claimed responsibility for attacks on Jewish targets across Europe.

Matt Jukes, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said in an interview with the BBC, "These incidents may be part of modern hybrid warfare conducted by proxy actors." Hybrid warfare refers to strategies that use non-traditional means—such as cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, or causing economic disruption—to destabilize adversarial nations.

Regarding the possibility that Iran may be behind the crimes, Deputy Commissioner Jukes stated, "This is a very significant subject of investigation," adding, "There is a pattern of individuals being paid cash to participate in such acts, perhaps motivated by the idea that it is an easy way to make money." He also emphasized, "Platform companies need to play a more active role to prevent young people from being exposed to these crimes through social networking services (SNS)."

Meanwhile, according to foreign media reports on March 14 (local time), so-called 'lone wolves' (self-radicalized terrorists) have become active following the Iran war. At a Jewish school in Amsterdam, Netherlands, an improvised explosive device detonated, damaging the outer wall. Explosive attacks targeting Jewish facilities and the U.S. Embassy have also occurred in Liège, Belgium, and Oslo, Norway.

In the United States, self-radicalized terror attacks have also continued in the wake of the Iran war, with a shooting at a university ROTC unit in Virginia and a truck-ramming attack on a synagogue in Michigan occurring on the same day last month. Kenneth Gray, a former FBI agent, explained, "Lone wolf attacks are harder to track than organized terrorism."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.