Met says four vehicles from Jewish community ambulance service damaged in suspected arson attack in Golders Green
Four ambulances belonging to the Jewish community ambulance service have been set on fire in Golders Green, with police saying they were treating the incident as an “antisemitic hate crime”.
Officers were called to Highfield Road in Golders Green at about 1.45am on Monday after receiving reports of a fire.
The Metropolitan police confirmed the incident in north London was being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.
The ambulances were run by Jewish charity Hatzola, which was established in 1979 and is run by volunteers, providing free medical transportation and emergency response to those living in North London.
The London fire brigade (LFB) said it had sent six fire engines and about 40 firefighters to the fire, which damaged four vehicles. Several cylinders on the vehicles exploded and caused windows to break in an adjacent block of flats, the LFB said. No injuries were initially reported.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said in a post on X: “This is a sickening attack on Jewish ambulances. Thank goodness there appear to be no injuries.
“Anyone with information should come forward to the police. We must stand together against antisemitic hatred.”
Police Supt Sarah Jackson, who leads policing in the area, said: “We know this incident will cause a great deal of community concern and officers remain on scene to carry out urgent inquiries.
“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.
“There have been no arrests yet, and we would urge anyone with information to please contact us as soon as possible – you can do so anonymously if you wish.
“We will be engaging with faith leaders and carrying out additional patrols in the local area as we continue our investigation to provide reassurance and a highly visible presence.”
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.
“Emergency services are on scene following a deliberate incident involving #Hatzola ambulances being set alight,” the group said in a post on X. “The explosions were caused by oxygen tanks not a bomb or explosive device. Although some buildings have been evacuated no casualties have been reported. Please avoid the area while investigations continue.”
Shomrim said Northwest London facility run by Hatzola remained fully operational.
Dean Cohen, a Golders Green ward councillor who was at the scene, told Jewish News the fact the incident had taken place in the “car park of a synagogue is particularly chilling and will send shock waves through our community at a time of already heightened fears over antisemitism in the UK”.
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.
“We are aware of multiple Hatzola ambulances that have been deliberately set alight in London,” it said. “This has obvious comparison to similar antisemitic arson attacks recently in Belgium and the Netherlands.
“No injuries have been reported at this time and we are helping MPSBarnet with their enquiries.”
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