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

 

The charred remains on an ambulance that was attacked earlier (Image: EPA)

The BBC has learned that police in forensic suits are searching bins, drain pipes, and guttering all along Brookside Road, the street that the arsonists used to escape. Officers are seen checking the houses' gutters with cameras on extendable poles, and others are using shovels to remove debris from drains.

Starmer meets Jewish community leaders in Downing Street (Image: 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.

 After the meeting, Wegier tells the PA news agency, "Yes, we should feel safe but anxious, I think," when asked if Jews in Britain should feel safe right now. "There's a very long, thousands of years, history of Jews who have, at the same time, felt anxious but felt resilient.  Resilience, I believe, is the most important word to use to describe what the Jewish community needs right now.

Also at the meeting were Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Labour MP Sarah Sackman, who represents Finchley and Golders Green (Image: Reuters)

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.

 "As a result, this attack is not just directed at the Jewish community; it is also directed at anyone who requires emergency services," Gluck asserts that he believes the government is "not doing enough" to safeguard British Jews.

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The Metropolitan Police stated earlier that they were aware of a group claiming online responsibility for the attack. They said, without naming the group, that it is a "priority" to validate this claim. "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 stated that the group claimed responsibility for a fire that occurred on March 13 outside of a synagogue in central Rotterdam. 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.

Police secure the site near a synagogue damaged by an explosion in Liège on 9 March (Image: Reuters)

More than 1,000 antisemitic hate crimes reported in 12 months in London

Between March 2023 and February 2024, a 12-month period in which 1,920 antisemitic hate crime incidents were reported across the capital, according to Metropolitan Police data, there was a peak in the number of incidents. In the London borough of Barnet, which includes the neighbourhood of Golders Green, 405 antisemitic hate crime offences were recorded within the same period.
 The most recent data shows a reported 1,140 offences between March 2025 and February 2026 across London, with 246 of those recorded in Barnet.

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".

 He says, "What we want now is for the authorities to respond in the same way." "Unfortunately, everything comes down to 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 that following the fire, the community was "distressed and upset" and "angry at the government and the media for allowing antisemitism to become normalized in the wider community." He continues, "I am always reassured by the way our community responds to disaster." We are good at disaster unfortunately.  The point is how do you stop the disaster occurring in the first place."

From the scene of the attacks in Golders Green, Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams provided a media update within the last hour. 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.  The base of four Hatzola ambulances, which was in the parking lot of a synagogue, was on fire. On board, oxygen canister explosions could be heard. Hate crime against Jews: Although four ambulances were destroyed, the service is still "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".  There have been no reported injuries. Three suspects: CCTV footage appears to show three individuals wearing hoods pouring accelerant onto the vehicles before lighting 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.  Williams stated, "It is not something we can confirm at this point."

Police looking into claim of responsibility by group online

Following his media update, Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams will provide additional information. He says the police believe they are looking at three suspects.  "Three people in hoods pouring accelerant onto vehicles before igniting it," he says, referring to surveillance footage. According to what we just reported, he claims that the attacks have not yet been classified as an act of terrorism, but counterterrorism police are currently leading the investigation "with all the specialist expertise they bring." He adds that "all lines of enquiry remain open".
 He claims that the police are aware of a claim made online by a group claiming responsibility, but they are unable to confirm it at this time. "It will be a priority to establish authenticity." He confirms that no arrests have yet been made. The arson attacks have not been declared a terrorist event "at this stage," according to Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, but counter-terrorism officers are leading the investigation. We'll have more lines from him soon.
 Streeting says there is "no doubt" that the attack was intended to "strike fear into heart" of the Jewish community in Golders Green and across the country.

 He says attackers want people to "live smaller lives", "less Jewish lives", but adds that he knows the community "won't be cowed" by this "despicable act of evil".
 Everyone needs to "stand up and speak up" across country, he adds, saying "practical solidarity" is the "best form of solidarity".
 According to Streeting, the ambulance service is providing practical assistance to ensure that emergency response teams "won't skip a beat on emergency call outs." He adds that until permanent alternatives can be found, four loaned ambulances will be provided by tomorrow morning.

Source: BBC