Man charged with arson over fire at Golders Green memorial wall
Dual British-Iranian national to appear in court after alleged fire at memorial honouring Iranian protesters and Nova victims
A man has been charged with carrying out a suspected arson attack at a memorial wall in Golders Green, north London.
Ali Fallahi, 45, from Ilford, is accused of starting a fire at the site in Limes Avenue on 27 April, sparking an investigation by counter-terrorism police.
He has been charged with arson and is due to face the charge for the first time at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
It is alleged Fallahi “damaged by fire a memorial cabinet of a value unknown belonging to Miga Rally, intending to destroy or damage such property or being reckless as to whether such property would be destroyed or damaged”.
The memorial wall was established by the Miga Rally community group as a tribute to thousands of protesters killed in a crackdown in Iran in January.
A section of the wall is dedicated to those killed in the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival in Israel in 2023.
The fire is said to have been started at around 12.15am in a cabinet which sits next to the wall.
The Miga Rally community group said the blaze was spotted and quickly extinguished, and did not spread to the wall itself.
After the incident, Miga Rally 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.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of counter-terrorism policing London, said: “This charge marks another step forward in one of the investigations into the series of arson attacks targeting the Jewish community and Iranian diaspora in London.
“We are determined to bring everyone involved in these incidents to justice.
“As always, I ask the public to remain vigilant and to contact police if you are concerned and feel something isn’t right.”
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