Joe Coughlan
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

Early this morning, four ambulances belonging to Jewish community charity Hatzola were set alight in an arson attack in north London.

The Metropolitan Police are treating the incident as an antisemitic hate crime, it has not been declared a terrorist incident but counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation.

The force is also investigating the authenticity of a claim from a group taking responsibility for the attack online.

CCTV footage appears to show three people in hoods pouring accelerant on the vehicles before setting them on fire.

No injuries were reported. No arrests have been made.

The ambulance charity maintains that its services remain "fully operational".

Earlier, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said four replacement ambulances would be provided on loan to Hatzola until permanent replacements are acquired.

The incident has prompted responses from the Jewish community, Golders Green locals and across Westminster - here's what we've heard.

We're now bringing our live coverage to an end. Follow our news story for the latest developments and read more on how the Jewish community have reacted to the attack.

Jared Evitts
BBC Newsbeat

The community in Golders Green are still in shock at what’s happened.

Ali, who lives about 15 minutes from the site of the attack, tells BBC Newsbeat it's worrying to see.

“It’s quite sad, what’s happened," he says. "I believe no community should be targeted."

He believes the conflict in the Middle East has a "massive" influence on attitudes in the UK, but that there needs to be more education to combat narratives that form around it.

“It’s not fair to target [Jewish people] because of someone else’s decisions," he says.

Image source, House of Commons

Security Minister Dan Jarvis condemns the arson attack in strong terms as "abhorrent" and "awful".

Speaking to the House of Commons, Jarvis promises the vital work of Hatzola will continue uninterrupted, and said the government was committed to ensuring the Jewish ambulance service suffered no lasting impact.

He reiterated the health secretary's earlier pledge to have four replacement ambulances in place by tomorrow morning, with the government to fund permanent replacements.

"The government is determined to deliver justice for this cowardly attack," the minister said, pledging that those responsible "will be pursued and made to face the consequences".

"For many, this outrage will not have come at a surprise, coming as it does at a time of profound distress and vulnerability in our Jewish communities."

Addressing Jewish people directly, he said: "Whether you live here in London or any part of the UK, know we stand with you and will do everything in our power to keep you and your family safe, not just today but every day."

Jared Evitts
BBC Newsbeat

Deborah Sobel, 41, also lives near the site of the incident and says she was horrified by the attack after all the ambulance service has done for people in the area.

"It's not only the Jewish community they help," she says.

But she has been happy to see the community banding together to help get the service back on its feet.

"It’s the type of community that really rallies together," she says. "People are raising money quickly to provide more ambulances."

Deborah says she wants to see the government take steps to defend the community and “not wait until something happens" to take action.

"It’s a worrying place to bring kids up," she says. "Why there’s so much hate, I don’t understand."

Joe Coughlan
Live reporter

Image source, PA Media

Since the attack overnight, we've been hearing from community leaders and senior figures in parliament:

Jewish community and charity leaders

Yossi Pincus, the manager of the North West London Hatzola charity,said antisemitism is an "intrinsic problem nationwide" that needs to be addressed "urgently".

Jack Taub, a member of the Machzike Hadath Synagogue leadership team, said the building's stained glass windows had been blown out by the blast, with the roof also being damaged.

Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust - a volunteer run service which provides security and monitors antisemitism in the UK - said "this is going to cause a lot of concern to the Jewish community - but it shouldn’t only be a matter for Jews".

And, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis says the arson attack in Golders Green is the latest in "a series of antisemitic crime incidents right around the globe" - watch more of his comments in the video below:

Across Westminster

Prime Minister Keir Starmer told MPs on the Parliament's Liaison Committee that the "rise of antisemitic hatred is there for all to see".

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also told the House of Commons that the perpetrators of the act would be pursued and made to "face the consequences of this wicked crime".

Meanwhile, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said "all of us need to make it clear in our words and actions that Britain will not tolerate antisemitism", while Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said today was a "dark day for London".

The former chairman of the North West London Hatzola says that the charity attends a variety of different emergencies, "from a cut finger to a suspected cardiac arrest".

Dovi Segal tells the PA news agency that each ambulance used by the service is worth "about a quarter of a million pounds", as they are made bespoke to the charity's requirements.

He adds that the vehicles are prepared so that they are "fully frontline ready" with the same stock that the London Ambulance Service would have.

Segal says: "I think the community are very shocked that an organisation they can rely on in their times of need has been the subject of such an attack, that makes them feel even more vulnerable."

Image source, PA

Image source, House of Commons

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp asked the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood if she agrees that "calls on our streets at marches for Jihad and Intifada are calls for violence, which fuel antisemitism, and does she agree they should no longer be allowed?"

Speaking in the Commons, Philp adds: "And finally, will she ensure that all antisemites and extremists who are not British citizens get deported?"

In response, Mahmood says the government "takes very seriously the rise in antisemitism that we've seen across our country".

She continues: "We are approaching this with a whole-of-government response, my colleagues in health, in education and in the communities and local government department are all taking forward the government’s social cohesion action plan and taking specific measures to tackle antisemitic hate crimes.

"And I know that across this House, there is unanimity by all members that there must be zero tolerance of antisemitism.

"He already knows that we have an independent review on public order and hate crime legislation. We will bring forward more proposals in due course."

Image source, PA

The registered manager of the North West London Hatzola charity says the community is "still reeling" from the attack in Golders Green overnight.

Yossi Pincus, a volunteer senior paramedic, says antisemitism is an "intrinsic problem nationwide" that needs to be addressed "urgently".

He tells the PA news agency that the group is grateful to the support it had received from the government since the attack and for the offers for a loan of ambulances until the charity could source its own.

Pincus adds: "We are currently running business as usual. We're still responding and we're still available for those that need us and no one should feel that we're not there for them in any different way that we would normally be."

Image source, House of Commons

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is currently taking questions in the Commons - you can watch live at the top of the page - and just addressed today's attack on the Hatzola ambulances.

"The perpetrators must be in no doubt," she says. "We will pursue them and make them face the consequences of this wicked crime."

The attack took place at a time of "soaring antisemitism", she adds, saying that her message to the 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."

A member of the leadership team for the synagogue near the arson attack in Golders Green says he has seen CCTV footage of three individuals placing rags at "strategic points on the ambulances" that were destroyed.

Jack Taub, speaking on behalf of the Machzike Hadath synagogue, tells the Reuters news agency the individuals set the vehicles on fire, and the synagogue's CCTV footage has been shared with the police.

The 33-year-old says: "I've seen some footage shared locally of incredible, huge explosions.

"If you look at the block of flats over there, there's four, five, six storeys. At one stage, one of the explosions literally reached almost the top of the building."

You can see Taub speaking in the video carousel at the top of the page.

Image source, PA Media

After meeting Jewish leaders in Downing Street, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is now speaking to MPs on Parliament's Liaison Committee.

Opening his remarks, he expresses his "disgust at the horrific antisemitic attack" in Golders Green.

"I know the impact that that will have had on so many individuals, not just in the area... but also frankly the whole Jewish community across the country," he says.

"This is not an isolated incident and the rise of antisemitic hatred is there for all to see."

Vinnie O'Dowd
Reporting from Golders Green

Image source, PA Media

Police in forensic suits are searching bins, drain pipes, and guttering all along Brookside Road - the street which, the BBC understands, was used by the arsonists to make their getaway.

Officers carrying cameras on extendable poles can be seen checking the guttering of the houses and others are digging out debris from drains using shovels.

Image source, Toby Melville/PA Wire

We can now bring you some pictures of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been meeting representatives of the UK's Jewish community in Downing Street.

Some of those attending were the Board of Deputies of British Jews chief executive, Michael Wegier, Jewish Leadership Council chair Keith Black, and Union of Jewish Students (UJS) president Louis Danker.

Asked after the meeting if Jews in Britain should feel safe at the moment, Wegier tells the PA news agency: "Yes, we should feel safe but anxious, I think.

"There's a very long, thousands of years, history of Jews who have, at the same time, felt anxious but felt resilient. I think resilience is the key word I would use to describe what the Jewish community needs now."

Earlier, Starmer called the attacks "deeply shocking" and "horrific".

Image source, Reuters

Meghan Owen and Lauren Stanley
BBC London

Image source, Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says today is 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."

He adds he is in close contact with local authorities and Jewish leaders "to make sure those responsible for this despicable, cowardly attack are brought to book and face the full force of the law".

Joe Coughlan
Live reporter

Image source, EPA

Rabbi Herschel Gluck, president of Shomrim London North & East, has described the arson attack on the Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green as "shocking and deeply troubling".

The leader of the neighbourhood patrol group tells the BBC: "[Hatzola] is a volunteer group that gives its free time to help any person in need of emergency services.

"Therefore, this attack is not just against the Jewish community, it is against anyone who need emergency services."

Gluck claims he feels the government is "not doing enough" to protect the British Jewish community.

He adds that while he appreciates Wes Streeting confirming the four damaged ambulances would be replaced, he would have preferred if "this wasn't required" in the first place.

Image source, MEDIA TV

Earlier, we heard the Metropolitan Police say they were aware of a group claiming responsibility for the attack online. Establishing the authenticity of this claim is a "priority", they said, without naming the group.

"It is not something we can confirm at this point," the police stressed.

The claim the Met is referring to seemingly came from an Iran-aligned group, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand). It made the claim of responsibility on its Telegram channel earlier today, news agency AFP reports.

Earlier this month, the group was named in a report from Israel's Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, external. The ministry said the group had claimed responsibility for a fire outside a synagogue in central Rotterdam on 13 March.

It also claimed responsibility for attacks targeting Jewish sites in Belgium and Amsterdam, according to the Times of Israel, external.

As a reminder, no arrests have been made in relation to Monday's attacks in London.

Image source, Reuters

Jess Warren and Tim Stokes
BBC London

Data from the Metropolitan Police shows almost 2,000 reported antisemitic hate crime offences between March 2023 and February 2024 in the capital.

In the London borough of Barnet, which includes the neighbourhood of Golders Green, 405 antisemitic hate crime offences were recorded within the same period.

Most recent data showed a reported 1,140 offences between March 2025 and February 2026 across London, with 246 of those recorded in Barnet.

However, this data is not comparable with previous years due to a change in Met Police crime recording systems in February 2024.

The force said data prior to February 2024 overstated the number of offences that were hate crimes due to “limitations” of its previous IT system.

Under the system introduced in 2024, hate crime numbers were more accurately recorded.

Update at 15:05 GMT: This post and graphic was changed to accurately reflect changes to police recording systems.

Harry Low
Reporting from Golders Green

Image source, EPA

Peter Zinkin, Conservative councillor for Golders Green ward, says the local community "understands the seriousness of what has happened and are responding appropriately, which is exactly what I would expect".

"What we now want is for the authorities to respond in the same way," he says.

"Unfortunately this is all about resources. There are hundreds of policemen around here today, but there were no policemen around last night.

"The question is not how you react after the event, the question is how you stop the event ever occurring in the first place."

He adds the community were "distressed and upset" following the fire, and felt angry towards "the government and the media for permitting antisemitism to become normalised in the wider community".

He adds: "I am always reassured by the response of our community to disaster. We are good at disaster unfortunately. The point is how do you stop the disaster occurring in the first place."

Image source, Reuters

In the past hour, we heard from Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who gave an update to the media from the site of the attacks in Golders Green. Here's a summary:

• Timeline of events: Police were called by London Fire Brigade at around 01:45 GMT this morning with reports of a blaze. Four Hatzola ambulances were on fire at their base in a synagogue car park. Explosions were heard from oxygen canisters on board
• Antisemitic hate crime: Four ambulances were destroyed but the service remains "fully operational". The arson attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime
• No injuries: 34 residents were evacuated from nearby homes as a precaution but were able to return "relatively quickly". No injuries have been reported
• Three suspects: CCTV footage appears to show three people in hoods pouring accelerant on the vehicles before setting them on fire and fleeing. No arrests have yet been made
• Investigation led by counter-terrorism: The incident has not been declared a terrorist incident at this stage, but the investigation is being led by counter-terrorism policing
• Online claims: Police are working to establish the authenticity of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for the attacks. "It is not something we can confirm at this point," Williams said

James Kelly
BBC News

Image source, Lyn Fry

Lyn Fry says she is "absolutely appalled and disgusted" by the arson attack on the Hatzola ambulances.

Her husband, Mike Clack, was helped by the charity service after he broke his leg in a fall during a round of golf in Highgate, north London, in April 2024.

"He was a 70-year-old non-Jewish man with a seriously broken leg, lying on cold, wet ground, and clearly in a bad way," she says, adding the Hatzola ambulance arrived "in about 15 minutes".

"At no time were they interested in whether we were Jewish," she says. "As it happens, we are not. They were absolutely wonderful."