"Seriously disturbing antisemitic incident in north London. I will remain in close contact with @metpoliceuk and @CST_UK [Community Security Trust] as the investigation progresses and I would urge anyone with info to contact the police immediately," Patel wrote on her official Twitter account.
The London police have released a CCTV image of a man they said they need to speak with in connection with a hate crime outside an overground train station in Camden on 2 December.
The victim – a man in his twenties – was approached by the suspect, who made anti-Semitic comments after damaging a display that had been raised to celebrate Chanukah.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said in a statement that the alleged assailant told the victim that he was "looking for a Jew to kill" before leaving the scene.
The campaign group also claimed that the police faced criticism for their initially slow response to the attack, but that the investigation has been upgraded following intervention by the Community Security Trust (CST), a British charity whose purpose is to provide safety, security, and advice to the Jewish community in the United Kingdom.