Security at a Hove synagogue has been tightened after the arrest of a teenager on terrorism offences.
Jewish charity CST (Community Security Trust) said it had been informed by police that research had been carried out into the Hove Hebrew Congregation at Holland Road Synagogue.
It said it has since been working closely with police and the Jewish community to ensure appropriate measures are taken.
In a statement released today, it said: “There is no indication that anybody else was involved.
“The threat of terrorism faced by Jewish communities is the reason why security remains an essential part of Jewish communal life.
“We have been working closely with counter-terrorism police, Hove Hebrew Congregation and Sussex Jewish Representative Council to ensure appropriate measures are in place.
“We want to thank Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) and Sussex Police for their ongoing efforts and for the reassurance they have provided, and continue to provide, to the local community.”
Fiona Sharpe of the Sussex Jewish Representative Council said: “It is extremely distressing to know that a local man has been arrested ‘researching’ my local synagogue.
“The threat of antisemitism is very real and anti-Jewish racism spreads easily in a hostile environment where age old tropes and stereotypes are allowed to flourish.”
In a statement, the SJRC said: “We are grateful to the vigilance of Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE).
“We have been updated and fully briefed by them, Sussex Police and our own Committee Security Trust (CST).
“This is a stark reminder of the ongoing threat the Jewish community faces from those fomenting antisemitic views. We would encourage people to be mindful of their language and the way they put their views forward in public and on social media.
“The use of casual antisemitic tropes and rhetoric creates a fertile ground for those harbouring hatred and anti-Jewish racism.
“The small Jewish community of Brighton and Hove should feel safe to practice and demonstrate our faith without the threat of terrorism, violence or hostility.”
Mason Reynolds, 18, of Moulsecoomb Way, Brighton, is due to appear today at Westminster Magistrates Court charged with:
- five counts of collecting information which could be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
- five counts of dissemination of terrorist publications, contrary to Section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006.
- one count of possessing an article for the purpose of terrorism, contrary to Section 57 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
CTPSE said this morning he had been arrested on Tuesday 27 June, and the charges were linked to an extreme right-wing ideology.
Sadly we get these indoctrinated young people who are usually of low intelligence and have little knowledge of the World.He should be sat down and shown newsreels of the Nazi death camps and Soviet wartime and Cold War gulags every day for a month.