Arabic version: تحقيق الشرطة في الروابط الإيرانية المحتملة في هجوم الحرق على سيارات الإسعاف الخيرية

Police are investigating a potential connection between an arson attack on Jewish charity ambulances and the Iranian state, following an incident in Golders Green, London. Four Hatzola ambulances were set ablaze in the early hours of Monday, leading to several explosions caused by gas canisters onboard the vehicles. According to BBC News, the head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, noted that it is still too early to definitively attribute the attack to Tehran.

The attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime rather than a terror incident, and police believe three suspects were involved. Rowley mentioned that the investigation is exploring an online claim of responsibility from an Islamist group that has previously claimed responsibility for attacks across Europe and may have links to Iran.

At the site of the attack, the cordon had been lifted, with the remains of the burnt-out ambulances still on site, and destroyed medical equipment could be seen inside the vehicles, with shattered glass on the floor around them. The president of the Machzike Hadath Synagogue, Damon Hoff, expressed concerns that the attack appeared planned, indicating prior surveillance of the community.

In response to the incident, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced government funding for the replacement of the destroyed ambulances. The London Ambulance Service has pledged support to Hatzola, which has been serving the local Jewish community since 1979.

Additional security measures are being implemented, including deploying 264 extra police officers and using advanced technology to enhance safety for the Jewish community in London. Sir Mark Rowley emphasized the seriousness of the threat posed by Iranian state activities in recent years, highlighting a pattern of targeting various groups, including the Jewish community.