Arabic version: فتح تحقيق في حريق متعمد لسيارات إسعاف تابعة لجمعية يهودية

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 due to gas canisters onboard the vehicles. No arrests have been made, but CCTV footage which appears to show three suspects dressed in black setting fire to an ambulance is being investigated. According to BBC News, the attack has not been declared a terror incident “at this stage”.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urged anyone with information to contact police, emphasizing that the perpetrators must be pursued. She noted that the incident comes at a time of soaring antisemitism in the UK and expressed solidarity with the Jewish community. An Iran-aligned group has made an unsubstantiated claim of responsibility for the attack, prompting police to investigate its authenticity.

The London Fire Brigade received 56 calls regarding the incident, with crews arriving around 01:40 GMT. The fires were brought under control less than two hours later, and fortunately, no injuries were reported. Local residents were evacuated, and many expressed their shock at the attack, which Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis described as particularly sickening given Hatzola’s mission to protect life.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan described the overnight arson attack as a “dark day for London,” affirming that it was an antisemitic hate crime. In response to the destruction, the government will fund the replacement of the four destroyed Hatzola ambulances, and over £1 million has been raised across multiple GoFundMe pages to help rebuild the Hatzola fleet. Security Minister Dan Jarvis stated that the damaged vehicles would be replaced on Tuesday.

The police are increasing their presence in Jewish areas, particularly in Golders Green, leading up to Passover. Many members of the Jewish community are deeply concerned about the attack, linking it to a rise in antisemitic incidents following the October 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel. The Community Security Trust is assisting the police in the investigation, which has drawn comparisons to similar antisemitic attacks recently in Belgium and the Netherlands.