Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity were set on fire in north London in what police are treating as an antisemitic hate crime.
The incident took place in Golders Green, a district home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the British capital. The vehicles, operated by the Hatzola charity, were parked near a synagogue when they were targeted in the early hours of Monday.
Emergency services evacuated nearby residential buildings as a precaution after gas canisters inside the burning ambulances exploded, shattering windows in surrounding properties. Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were deployed to the scene, and the fire was brought under control by Monday morning. No injuries were reported.
London’s Metropolitan Police, commonly known as Scotland Yard, said it is treating the incident as a hate crime motivated by antisemitism. Officers are reviewing CCTV footage and are searching for three suspects, who have not yet been apprehended.
Chief Superintendent Sarah Jackson, the local police commander, said patrols in the area have been increased following the attack.
The Community Security Trust (CST), which provides security support for the UK’s Jewish community, said the incident bears similarities to recent antisemitic arson attacks reported in the Netherlands and Belgium.
According to CST data, around 3,700 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the United Kingdom last year, a 4 per cent increase compared to the previous year and the second-highest annual figure on record.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack, describing it as deeply shocking and stressing that antisemitism has no place in British society.
The incident follows a deadly attack in October last year, when a Syrian-born British national carried out a car-ramming and stabbing assault near the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur, killing two people and seriously injuring four others. The attacker was shot dead by police at the scene.
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