Four Suspects Charged Over Arson Attack on Jewish Ambulances in London

Three men were remanded in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday after being charged over the arson attack on four Hatzola Northwest ambulances in Golders Green, while a fourth suspect was arrested at the courthouse itself on Saturday morning in a striking development that underscored the pace of the investigation.

Hamza Iqbal, 20, and Rehan Khan, 19, both British nationals from Leyton, and a 17-year-old boy, a dual British and Pakistani national from Walthamstow, appeared before the court and were charged with arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered, contrary to Section 1(2) of the Criminal Damage Act 1971. The 45-minute hearing concluded with all three remanded in custody; none entered pleas. Details of the fourth suspect arrested that morning have not yet been made public.

All three had been arrested on 1 April at separate addresses in east London as part of a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation, charged following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service. Two further men, aged 45 and 47, both British nationals, were arrested on 25 March from addresses in Kilburn and King's Cross. Four North London properties were searched in connection with their arrests, and both men were released on bail to a date in late April pending further enquiries.

The attack that prompted the investigation took place at approximately 01:35 on Monday, 23 March, in the car park of Machzike Hadath, an Orthodox Jewish synagogue on Highfield Road, Golders Green. CCTV footage captured three hooded figures pouring accelerant over four ambulances belonging to Hatzola Northwest Trust before setting them alight and fleeing. Three ambulances were destroyed and a fourth seriously damaged. Westminster Magistrates' Court heard the blaze caused approximately £1 million worth of damage.

Oxygen canisters stored inside the vehicles exploded during the fire, shattering windows in a nearby apartment block. Six fire engines and 40 firefighters from the London Fire Brigade attended. As a precaution, 34 residents from neighbouring properties were evacuated, though no injuries were reported.

Hatzola Northwest Trust, a registered charity founded in 1994, provides 24-hour emergency medical cover to both Jewish and non-Jewish residents within a 2.5-mile radius of its Golders Green base. The four vehicles destroyed or damaged in the attack represented the bulk of the service's six-strong fleet. Chairman Shloimie Richman confirmed the ambulances had been "deliberately targeted in an arson attack," adding the organisation had received no prior threats.

Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, which is leading the investigation, said: "Since this appalling attack last week, we have been working continuously to investigate and identify those responsible." The case has not been formally declared a terrorism incident, though Counter Terrorism Policing London is directing the inquiry.

SITE Intelligence Group reported that a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, described by SITE as an Iran-aligned multinational militant collective, claimed responsibility for the attack via Telegram. The group also claimed involvement in similar anti-Jewish arson attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands. Police have not confirmed the claim.

The political response was swift and cross-party. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it "a horrific antisemitic attack" and confirmed he had been in contact with Jewish community leaders. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said "all of us need to make it clear in our words and actions that Britain will not tolerate antisemitism." London Mayor Sadiq Khan ordered increased police patrols across the area. Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced the government would fund the replacement of all four destroyed ambulances, with staff from the London Ambulance Service providing interim support to Hatzola.

Public fundraising campaigns on Charity Extra and GoFundMe raised more than £500,000 within days of the attack. Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust, which advises Britain's estimated 290,000 Jews on security matters, noted the fires bore an "obvious parallel to similar recent anti-Jewish arson attacks in Liege, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam." Damon Hoff, president of Machzike Hadath synagogue, said: "The Jewish community has been under siege, and the streets of London are not good for Jewish people right now."

The three charged defendants are expected to appear before a higher court; the investigation into the fourth arrested suspect is continuing.