A man from east London has pleaded guilty to an arson attack at a memorial wall in Golders Green.
Ali Fallahi, 46, from Ilford admitted the arson attack in north London as he appeared before Harrow Crown Court on Friday.
He started a fire at a memorial cabinet on the site in Limes Avenue on April 27, sparking an investigation by counter-terrorism police.
Memorial Wall Background
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 arson came amid a string of attacks on Jewish-related sites in north London earlier this year.
Community Response
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.
Court Proceedings
Judge John Lodge granted Fallahi conditional bail until his sentencing hearing at Harrow Crown Court on October 16.
He ordered that a pre-sentence report be carried out so he could know more about the defendant.
Addressing Fallahi, the judge said: “The next hearing will be on October 16.
“Until then you remain on bail as before.
He told Fallahi he had pleaded guilty to a “serious offence”.
The judge warned that although he had granted bail he was not giving “any promise or indication about sentence”.
