Driver "targeted Jewish schoolboys" in Barnet as Met launches hate crime investigation

The boys were unhurt but police are appealing for witnesses with dashcam footage to come forward.

An investigation has been launched into the incident which happened on Holders Hill Road, Barnet, on April 20 and is currently being treated as religiously aggravated assault.

The teenagers, all aged 14, are understood to have been waiting to cross the road close to Hasmonean High School for Boys - a Jewish school - when the car approached.

They managed to avoid the vehicle and were unharmed, as the driver then reportedly made off.

It follows a series of arson attacks at Jewish sites in London, including a double stabbing in Golders Green which is currently being treated as an act of terrorism.

Earlier this week, the Met announced that a team of 100 extra community protection police officers will be deployed to help safeguard Jewish communities.

A spokesperson for the Met Police said: "We are investigating reports a car drove towards three 14-year-old boys on Holders Hill Road, Barnet on Monday, 20 April.

"While enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances, this is currently being treated as a religiously aggravated assault.

"It was reported a car had mounted the curb near where the boys were standing, they moved out of the way and there were no reported injuries.

"We remain in close contact with the nearby school. At this stage, no arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing."

The force are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

The school’s headteacher, James Fisher, sent a letter to parents confirming a group of pupils were involved in a "concerning incident" near a pedestrian crossing.

‘Cautious and vigilant’

Mr Fisher told Metro: "We don’t comment on ongoing investigations, but like most in the Jewish community at this time, we are being cautious and vigilant and we put our students’ safety at the forefront of what we do at this time."

A parent who lives near the school told the publication: "It’s despicable to be targeted for being a Jewish person, it’s so low. These are just children walking from school. It seems nowhere is safe."

The North London area, widely considered a hub of the Jewish community, was placed in lockdown after a knifeman attacked two men, Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Ben Baila, 76, in what has since been labeled a terror attack.

Essa Suleiman, 45, has since been charged with two counts of attempted murder.

The new team of officers will be "primarily focused on protecting the Jewish community, which faces some of the highest levels of hate crime alongside significant terrorist and hostile state threats".

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, also charged with one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place.

Suleiman is also accused of attempted murder in relation to a separate incident in Great Dover Street in Southwark earlier the same day.

The Met’s chief Sir Mark Rowley said the creation of the new team was an "important step in strengthening our response to the sustained threats Jewish communities are facing".