Arson attack on Jewish charity ambulances investigated by counter-terror police

An arson attack on Jewish charity-owned ambulances in north London is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime and is being investigated by counter-terror officers, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Four Hatzola ambulances were set ablaze in Golders Green in the early hours of Monday, causing several explosions - caused by gas canisters onboard the vehicles.

No arrests have been made, but CCTV which appears to show three suspects dressed in black setting fire to an ambulance is being investigated.

Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said officers were investigating whether a group with "potential Iranian state links" could have been behind the attack.

He stressed it was too early to attribute the attack to Iran but expressed concern at the "rapid growth in recent years of Iranian state threats" in the UK.

Police also said the attack had not been declared a terror incident "at this stage".

Footage appears to show three people in hoods pouring accelerant on the vehicles before setting them on fire and fleeing.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urged anyone with information to contact police.

"There have as yet been no arrests, but the perpetrators must be in no doubt we will pursue them and make them face the consequences of this wicked crime," she told the the House of Commons.

"This incident comes at a time of soaring antisemitism in our country and today my message to our Jewish community is clear: we stand with you, we will do everything in our power to protect you and we will fight relentlessly to rid our society of antisemitism."

Iran-aligned group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya - The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand - made an unsubstantiated claim of responsibility for the attack on its Telegram channel.

In an update on Monday evening, the Met Police said detectives were "aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for the attack and inquiries are ongoing to establish the authenticity and accuracy of this claim".

Speaking later at the annual dinner of the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that tracks antisemitism in the UK and provides security, the Met commissioner said all lines of inquiry were being pursued, including the "online claim of responsibility".

Sir Mark added that 264 extra police officers would be deployed to protect the Jewish community in London, alongside "additional highly visible firearms patrols".

The Met Police has also created an online portal for members of the public to share any video footage they have before, during or after the incident.

"We've already gathered a large amount of CCTV footage from the local area and taken a number of statements from witnesses," Commander Helen Flanagan said.

The London Fire Brigade said crews were sent to Highfield Road at around 01:40 GMT. The fires were brought under control less than two hours later. No injuries have been reported.

Deputy assistant commissioner Paul Askew said: "Upon arrival, crews were met with a well-developed fire involving four ambulances.

"Several cylinders stored within the vehicles exploded because of the heat, causing damage to the windows of a nearby residential block."

Around 30 people were taken to a local shelter, the London Fire Brigade added. One resident, Abigael Levi, said she and her children fled in bare feet after hearing the explosions.

Local resident and councillor Shimon Ryde told the BBC that the ambulances were close to the Machzike Hadath synagogue.

"It's very shocking, it's not unexpected... the Jewish community is very aware of the danger we live in," Ryde said.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the targeting of the volunteer ambulance service was "particularly sickening", adding that their "sole mission is to protect life, Jewish and non-Jewish alike".

Hatzola is a large non-profit, Jewish-led organisation that provides free emergency medical response and transportation to hospitals.

Run by volunteers, it has served the north London community of Golders Green, which has a large Jewish population, since 1979. There are dozens of synagogues throughout the area and according to the London Data Store, 49% of residents in the Golders Green ward identify as Jewish.

Hatzola representative Laurence Blitz said it was "shocking for any normal-minded person to attack an organisation whose sole purpose is to save lives".

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan described the overnight arson attack as a "dark day for London".

"Jewish Londoners who volunteer to provide a service for all Londoners have been attacked for no other reason than because they are Jewish," he says.

"This is an antisemitic hate crime. And it's really important for all of us to show allyship to the Jewish community."

The government will fund the replacement of the four destroyed Hatzola ambulances, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer - who earlier met Jewish community leaders in Downing Street - told Parliament.

During a select liaison committee hearing at the Commons, Sir Keir said: "The idea that we live in a society where people should feel they need to hide their identity or their religion is, frankly, abhorrent.

"Antisemitism is an old hatred, but it requires constant vigilance to overcome it."

More than £1m has been raised across multiple GoFundMe pages to help rebuild the Hatzola fleet.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting promised the London Ambulance Service would provide additional support to ensure that "we don't miss a beat" responding to emergency callouts.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis later told the Commons the damaged vehicles would be replaced on Tuesday.

Police said they were "engaged with faith leaders" and "were carrying out additional patrols in the local area".

Many people in the Jewish community were said to be deeply concerned by the attack, with some saying it may be linked to wider global tensions.

Reports of antisemitic incidents have risen in the UK following the October 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel that began the war in Gaza.

Last year, two Jewish people were killed in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

"Antisemitism is rife on the streets of London," the Israeli embassy wrote on X on Monday.

"Enough is enough. There must be thorough investigation and decisive action to put an end to this climate of intimidation before it spirals further."

The volunteer-run Community Security Trust said it was assisting police in their inquiries.

"This has obvious comparison to similar antisemitic attacks recently in Belgium and the Netherlands," it said in a statement on X.

Earlier this month, a synagogue in Liege was damaged by an explosion, while explosions also targeted a synagogue in Rotterdam and a Jewish school in Amsterdam.

Elsewhere, Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally condemned the "appalling antisemitic attack", while the British Medical Association criticised "deliberate attacks on healthcare services" as "reprehensible".

Home Secretary Mahmood also spoke at CST's annual dinner where she praised staff and volunteers who give their time to protect their local synagogues.

She said: "History has repeatedly screamed its warning at us. And yet, here we are again, in 2026, with the oldest hatred rising once more."

She said Jews in the UK were being "forced to live a smaller life" and that she could not "pretend" to know how it felt to face "this rising tide of antisemitism".

"But I can tell you that I too have felt the surge in hatred that we are experiencing across society today. I have felt it directed at me personally and at my family, because of who we are and what we believe."

"Some, in these turbulent and dangerous times, seek to pit communities against one another. But division is no answer to hatred. I have always considered it this country's superpower: that different communities have lived, for so long, side by side."