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A 17-year-old teenager has become the first person to be convicted after a spate of attacks on the Jewish community in London. The boy, a British national from Brent, north-west London, who has not been named because of his age, admitted arson not endangering life at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Footage was posted online appearing to show a figure in dark clothing setting light to what was believed to be a petrol bomb and throwing it through a window at Kenton United Synagogue, in Shaftsbury Avenue, Harrow, late on Saturday April 18.Around midnight, Metropolitan Police officers conducting security checks at local synagogues came across the crime scene and alerted the London Fire Brigade. Jewish charity the Community Security Trust said minor smoke damage to an internal room was caused but there were no injuries or significant structural damage.

The court case comes as Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) officers announced they had made eight more arrests in relation to a "conspiracy" to target an as yet unkown venue related to the Jewish community and rising antisemitism in the UK.

At the short hearing, the 17-year-old, who was flanked by two security officers in the dock, spoke only to confirm his personal details and to plead guilty to the charge. Two family members, including his mother, sat in seats in front of the dock.

Two other suspects are "outstanding" in the investigation, the court heard. District Judge Nina Tempia freed the youth on bail with conditions including to live and sleep at his home address and to not enter any synagogue.

She told the defendant: "I'm going to grant you bail so that you can be released today. If you breach these bail conditions you will be arrested by the police."

The boy is due to appear at Willesden Youth Court on June 4.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing said: "This is a significant development, being the first conviction in relation to one of the recent spate of arson attacks on Jewish, Israeli or Iranian-linked venues.

"We have been clear that we will be relentless in our pursuit of anyone who was involved in any of these attacks. This outcome shows how seriously we are taking these matters and the excellent work of all the officers and staff both in Counter Terrorism Policing and the Met Police, who have been working around the clock to progress the investigations. Enquiries remain ongoing in all of our investigations and our message to anyone involved is that we will identify you and you will be brought to justice."

A 19-year-old was also arrested at an address in north-west London as part of the investigation into the arson. He has been released on bail to a date in May, police said.

The Met also announced today (Tuesday) that counter-terror cops had arrested three men, aged 24, 25 and 26, in Harpenden, Herts, shortly after 9pm on Sunday April 19. They were taken into custody before being released on bail.

On Monday, April, a 25-year-old man was arrested in Stevenage, Herts. A 26-year-old man, and two women, aged 50 and 59, were also arrested in a car near Birmingham, West Mids. They have all been taken to a London police station where they currently remain in custody.

On Tuesday morning a 39-year-old man was arrested at an address in Ealing, London, under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and taken into custody. This arrest was connected to a CTP London investigation following the discovery of jars of a non-hazardous substance in Kensington Gardens on Friday April 17.