Counter-terrorism police are leading an investigation after four Jewish community ambulances were set on fire outside a synagogue in London early Monday, in what authorities are treating as a anti-Semitic hate crime.
The attack took place around 1.45am in the Golders Green area, where Hatzola ambulances, a volunteer emergency service run by the Jewish community, were deliberately set on fire in a synagogue car park, according to a statement from Detective Chief Inspector Luke Williams of the Metropolitan Police.
“This arson is being treated as an anti-Semitic hate crime. This is a devastating incident for our Jewish communities,” Williams said, adding that while the incident has not yet been formally declared a terrorist offense, “the investigation is now being led by Counterterrorism Policing… and all lines of inquiry remain open.”
A video circulating online claims to show Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, an Iran-affiliated group that has claimed responsibility for recent attacks on Jewish sites in Belgium and the Netherlands, with the Jewish Chronicle claiming credit for the London attack.
WESTERN LEADERS MUST FIGHT ISLAMIC INSPIRED ANTI-SEMITIC VIOLENCE BEFORE IT TARGETS EVERYONE
Charred remains of ambulances belonging to Hatzola, a Jewish community organization, that were set on fire in an incident that police say is being treated as an anti-Semitic hate crime, in northwest London, Britain, March 23, 2026. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)
Authorities are investigating a possible link to a newly emerged group of suspects ties with Iran. “We are aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for this attack,” Williams said. “Establishing the authenticity and accuracy of this claim will be a priority… but it is not something we can confirm at this time.”
He argued that Britain’s broader approach to the conflict with Iran – an attempt to maintain distance while avoiding direct confrontation – has further emboldened Tehran. “The current policy towards the war in Iran is misleading. The government pretends that Britain is not involved. However, the Iranian regime does not believe in neutrality and has made its position for us: ripe for targeting.”
Joe Truzman, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said in a post on
ISRAEL’S NETANYAHU DEMANDS WESTERN GOVERNMENTS TO FIGHT ANTISEMITISM: ‘HEAR OUR WARNINGS’
Charred remains of ambulances belonging to Hatzola, a Jewish community organization, that were set on fire in an incident that police say is being treated as an anti-Semitic hate crime, in northwest London, Britain, March 23, 2026. (Isabel Infantes/Reuters)
the police said they are looking for three suspects who are seen on CCTV pouring an accelerant on the vehicles before setting them on fire. No injuries were reported, although nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.
The attack comes amid a wider wave of violence against Jewish communities across Europe in recent weeks.
Scott Saunders, CEO of the International March of the Living, said the incident represents a dangerous escalation. “The Golders Green arson… marks a dangerous escalation in attacks on Jewish communities,” Saunders said. “Emergency vehicles driven by Jewish volunteer first responders were deliberately attacked… in close proximity to a place of worship – a space that is supposed to represent safety.”
CANADA’S CARNEY UNDER PRESSURE TO ACT AFTER SYNAGOGUES STARTED IN LATEST ANTI-SEMITIC INCIDENTS
Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel visits the scene after four ambulances from Hatzola, a Jewish community organisation, were set on fire in an incident that police say is being treated as an anti-Semitic hate crime, in northwest London, Britain, March 23, 2026. (Isabel Infantes/Reuters)
“These ambulances not only serve Jewish communities. Targeting them is not only an attack on Jewish life, but also on the shared fabric of the community they serve,” he added. “Since the war with Iran Since its inception, anti-Semitic attacks have become more frequent, brazen and direct. Jewish institutions are singled out; synagogues, communal spaces and now even the emergency services that exist to protect Jewish lives, with a growing sense that these are legitimate targets. After the deadly shooting in and around a synagogue in Manchester last October, in which this escalation already led to loss of life, the attack in Golders Green makes it clear that this trajectory is continuing.”
Dr. Charles Asher Small, founder of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, said the attack reflected a broader trend.
“The attack on a visible Jewish target is not an isolated act of vandalism; it is the violent fruit of a climate in which Jew-hatred has been normalized and institutionalized,” Small said.
ISRAELI INTEL OFFICIAL SAYS YOUR ‘POOP WOULD DROP’ AT TERROR POLLS OCCURING WORLDWIDE
Men hold the flag of Israel and the “Lion and Sun” flag from before the Iranian Revolution near the site where four ambulances belonging to Hatzola, a Jewish community organization, were set on fire in an incident that police say is being treated as an anti-Semitic hate crime, in northwest London, Britain, March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes (Isabel Infantes/Reuters)
“At the center of this malignancy is the Iranian regime… which actively funds and directs the networks that view British Jewish institutions as legitimate targets,” he added.
British officials also condemned the attack.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “An attack on our Jewish community is an attack on us all. We will fight the poison that is anti-Semitism.”
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called the incident on X “A particularly sickening attack – not only on the Jewish community, but also on the values we share as a society.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Police secure the site near a synagogue damaged by an explosion early Monday morning in Liège, Belgium, March 9, 2026. (Yves Herman/Reuters)
“Attacking Hatzola… is a very painful illustration of the ongoing struggle between those who sanctify life and those who seek to destroy it,” he added in a March 23, 2026 statement.
Police say no arrests have been made and are calling on anyone with information to come forward.
