British police are investigating a suspected hate crime after the door of a Jewish-owned shop in Hertfordshire was set on fire and defaced with graffiti, the latest in a broader spike in attacks targeting Jewish sites across the United Kingdom.

Hertfordshire Constabulary said Tuesday that the fire was deliberately set at a business on the lower high street on Sunday, and confirmed the case is being treated as religiously aggravated. Authorities are now appealing for witnesses and reviewing potential security footage as part of the investigation.

“I would like to make it clear that we do not tolerate hate crime in our communities in Hertfordshire,” Detective Superintendent Mark Clawson said in a statement, adding that police are working to identify those responsible. He said investigators are particularly interested in speaking with a group of young males seen in the area around the time of the incident.

While officials stressed that there is no confirmed link between the Hertfordshire attack and a recent string of arson attempts in London, the episode comes against a backdrop of rising anxiety within the Jewish community.

Advocacy groups say the latest incident fits into a troubling pattern. The Campaign Against Antisemitism said Tuesday that multiple arson-related attacks have been reported in recent days, warning that the frequency of such incidents is becoming untenable.

The recent wave of cases has included attempted firebombings at shuls, vandalism of Jewish-linked buildings, and attacks on community infrastructure, including Hatzolah ambulances. Some of those incidents have been claimed by a group believed to be tied to Iran, though no such claim has been made in connection with the Hertfordshire case.

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