Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation into an arson attack on four Jewish community ambulances outside a synagogue in London overnight.
Israel fears that Iran may have been behind the firebombing in Golders Green after a new extremist group backed by Tehran appeared to claim responsibility online.
CCTV footage shows three hooded suspects approaching a parked ambulance with patrol cans before it ignites into flames. They then flee the area as the ambulances were engulfed in flames, with several loud bangs heard as oxygen cannisters exploded, shattering nearby windows at around 1am.
A video purportedly made by Iranian-backed terror group Ashab al-Yamin has emerged on social media. The unverified clip is claiming responsibility for the arson attack in Golders Green.
Ashab al-Yamin has also claimed responsibility for other attacks on Jewish targets in Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands and another attack in Belgium between March 9 and March 14.
Claims they may have attacked the ambulances in north London remain unverified by the UK authorities.
Scotland Yard has said today they are hunting for three suspects and it is a ‘priority’ for them to verify if Ashab al-Yamin are involved, amid fears across Europe of Iranian sleeper cells.
Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation, Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said, but the arson is not yet being treated as a terror attack.
He said: ‘We believe we are looking for three suspects at this early stage. CCTV footage appears to show three people in hoods pouring an accelerant on to the vehicles before igniting them and fleeing.
‘While this has not been declared a terrorist incident at this stage, the investigation is now being led by counter terrorism policing with all the specialist expertise they bring, and all lines of enquiry remain open.
‘We are aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for this attack. Establishing the authenticity and accuracy of this claim will be a priority for the investigation team but it is not something we can confirm at this point.
‘There have been no arrests at this early stage, and we would urge anyone with information to please contact us as soon as possible – you can do so anonymously if you wish.’
Three hooded suspects were seen approaching the emergency vehicles before they were set alight
Four ambulances were set on fire in the Jewish community of Golders Green in London
Three of the community ambulances were left in pieces and burned out after fires triggered explosions inside the vehicles
Around 40 firefighters were called after multiple cylinders on the vehicles exploded
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said of the potential Iran links: ‘I’m sure the security services will be looking into that, and the Met will be investigating. I’m very reluctant to get ahead of what is still a live investigation’.
Israeli embassy sources told The Telegraph today that the attack has ‘all the hallmarks’ of an Iranian-backed attack.
Six fire engines and 40 firefighters rushed to Highfield Road, near the Mchzike Hadath synagogue in Golders Green, at around 1.45am to put out the flames. No one was injured.
The force of the blasts, believed to be gas canisters onboard the Hatzola ambulances, caused windows to break in a nearby block of flats.
The synagogue, which is one of the oldest in Europe, has its roof damaged and stained glass windows smashed in the fire.
Condemning the ‘deeply shocking’ attack, Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘My thoughts are with the Jewish community who are waking up this morning to this horrific news.
‘Antisemitism has no place in our society. Anyone with any information must come forward to the police.’
Gideon Falter, chief executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: ‘We are absolutely heartbroken that this is how low Britain has sunk. This horrific act truly plumbs new depths.’
The ambulances were provided by the volunteer-run Jewish organisation Hatzola, which provides free emergency medical response and transportation to hospitals.
Residents in the area were evacuated as a precaution and roads in the surrounding area remain closed.
Damon Hoff, chairman of the synagogue that hosts the Hotzala ambulances, lives in the local area and heard the explosions.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘The smoke was blowing, and it’s frightening. It is frightening. And when those explosions are going, it’s terrifying.
‘They were worried there was a gas leak, but we don’t know if there was.
‘I think this is the greatest sense of vulnerability that you have, that you actually are attacked in your home.
‘This is an overt attack on the Jewish community, and it’s ambulances. It’s absolutely intended to instill fear, and that’s exactly what it’s done.’
The charred wreckage of the Hatzola ambulances
Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, visits the scene this morning
A protester shows a banner at Golders Green
Mr Hoff said there was also damage to the roof of the synagogue and stained glass windows had been shattered.
‘Those things you can replace, but you can’t replace the scar tissue,’ he added.
Jack Taub, 33, is part of the leadership at the Machzike Hadath Synagogue, which was damaged in the attack.
He said: ‘This synagogue was targeted because it is one of the oldest in Europe. It’s an emblem of the community.
‘We don’t know exactly how bad the damage is to the synagogue, but we think we can see some of the windows have been blown out by the force of the explosion.
‘We have to figure out how to resume operations as soon as possible at the synagogue. We want to get straight back to it.
‘But it doesn’t scare us. It’s obviously disappointing, it’s saddening, but our resilience is there. This is not gonna be a defining moment for this community. If anything, it’s gonna embolden us to build back better and stronger, and will increase our security.
‘The Hatzala ambulance service looks after people in the general community. It’s not limited just to Jewish people. Anyone that lives in the local community benefits from the service.’
Sam Denciger, 44, a Shomrim volunteer who lives nearby, was awoken in the middle of the night to the sound of explosions.
‘When I arrived, the place was full of was full of smoke and fire,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘We tried to see where we could help and thankfully no one was hurt. My daughter who lives on the road was evacuated, the whole building was.’
Lucy, who also lives in Golders Green, told the Daily Mail: ‘I’m stunned to my core.
‘I am absolutely horrified, the thing that makes it so much worse is that ambulances care for vulnerable people so this was not just the ‘normalised’ anti-Zionist attack, its an attack on vulnerable individuals and the communities ability to look after vulnerable people.
‘How many people will suffer as a result? Heart attacks, stroke victims, choking children. I think this is a very shocking thing and should be a wakeup call if its not already.’
She added: ‘There’s a sense at the moment that I feel there’s an absolute silence and people need to really talk and think about what’s happening to their society, antisemitism in any society is a bad thing, it’s a sign of social decline.
‘I feel so isolated, I was never a religious Jew, but people don’t understand our spirit, we feel as one.’
You could fit the number of adult voting Jews in the UK in the city the side of York, it’s like it’s happening to a small town, that’s how we feel.’
Dov Forman, 22, is a local author and campaigner against antisemitism.
He is the great-grandson of Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert, who passed away in October 2024.
Mr Forman said his great-grandmother had been helped multiple times by the ambulance service, adding: ‘Everyone here will have a story about Hatzola, the incredible work they do to save lives every single day.’
The suspects were seen on CCTV running away from the scene on foot
Firefighters surveying the damage on Monday morning after the arson attack in Golders Green
Aerial footage shows the aftermath of the blaze, where three of the ambulances have been completely destroyed
Hatzola, which was established in 1979 and is run by volunteers, provides free medical transportation to those living in North London.
Seeking to reassure Londoners on Monday, Sir Sadiq Khan said: ‘This is a cowardly attack on the Jewish community.
‘I am in close contact with the police who are stepping up patrols in the area, and I urge anyone with information to come forward.
‘Londoners will never be cowed by this kind of hatred and intimidation.’
Superintendent Sarah Jackson, said: ‘We know this incident will cause a great deal of community concern and officers remain on scene to carry out urgent enquiries.
‘We are in the process of examining CCTV and are aware of online footage. We believe we are looking for three suspects at this early stage.’
No arrests have been made and anyone with information is being urged to come forward. Patrols are being ramped up in the local area.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the fire as a ‘sickening attack’, in a statement on social media.
He added: ‘Thank goodness there appear to be no injuries. Anyone with information should come forward to the Police. We must stand together against antisemitic hatred.’
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said in a statement on X: ‘The deliberate arson attacks against Hatzola ambulances in London are a particularly sickening assault – not only on the Jewish community, but on the values we share as a society.
‘Our Hatzola volunteer ambulance corps is an extraordinary service, whose sole mission is to protect life, Jewish and non-Jewish alike.
‘The targeting of Hatzola by people so committed to terror, hatred and the desecration of life is a most painful illustration of the ongoing battle between those who sanctify life and those who seek to destroy it.
‘At a time when Jewish communities around the world are facing a growing pattern of these violent attacks, we will meet this moment with shared resolve and stand together against hatred and intimidation.’
Community Security Trust (CST), a charity which monitors antisemitism in the UK, confirmed in a statement on X that it was assisting police in their enquiries.
They said: ‘We are aware of multiple Hatzola ambulances that have been deliberately set alight in London.
‘This has obvious comparison to similar antisemitic arson attacks recently in Belgium and the Netherlands.’
The area was cordoned off by police while 40 firefighters responded to the blaze
Firefighters pictured on the scene in Golders Green London after an arson attack on four vehicles
Shomrim, a non-profit organisation which operates a neighbourhood watch in the Golders Green neighbourhood, said it was ‘aware of loud explosions’ early on Monday morning.
‘The explosions were caused by oxygen tanks not a bomb or explosive device,’ they said.
Golders Green ward councillor Dean Cohen, who was at the scene, told Jewish News that the fact the incident was taking place in the ‘car park of a synagogue is particularly chilling and will send shockwaves through our community at a time of already heightened fears over antisemitism in the UK’.
He said: ‘It’s beyond time for the authorities to wake and do more to tackle this hate running riot.’
Councillor Peter Zinkin, who represents the Golders Green ward on Barnet Council, added: ‘We will be doing everything we can to encourage the police, and of course, our own Community Security Trust, to recognise the elevated level of threat that we now seem to be under, and to increase the level of security, which the community is sheltering behind, which is just terrible. Just terrible.’
Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said the apparent arson attack on ambulances in Golders Green, north London, was ‘deeply shocking’.
When asked whether there was a concern it could be a pro-Iranian attack, Mr Pennycook said: ‘I’m sure the security services will be looking into that, and the Met will be investigating. I’m very reluctant to get ahead of what is still a live investigation.’
Board of Deputies of British Jews President Phil Rosenberg said the attack on Hatzola Jewish community ambulances was ‘despicable’.
Mr Rosenberg said: ‘While the motives are unclear at this stage, this attack comes in the context of rising antisemitism around the world. This is a threat not just to the Jewish community but to our societies as a whole.
‘The UK Jewish community will meet the moment with strength, pride and resolve. We will replace the ambulances and continue our service to this nation that we love.
‘We shall not be moved.’
The ambulances used by Hatxola are custom made and are funding from donations made by members of the community.
The charity is fundraising to raise funds to replace the vehicles damaged in the fire.
It comes after an art exhibition was reported to police after accusations it displayed antisemitic and Nazi imagery.
The exhibition, titled Drawings Against Genocide, was reported for depicting Jews using offensive stereotypes and inflammatory symbolism linked to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Critics said the artwork includes repeated use of the Star of David around figures portrayed as Israelis and members of a so-called ‘Jewish lobby’ – imagery widely condemned as antisemitic.
Some attendees were also reportedly wearing ‘globalise the intifada’ T-shirts, a slogan often interpreted as endorsing violence against Jews.
