London police probe attack on Jewish ambulances as hate crime

London’s police say they are investigating an “arson attack” as an antisemitic hate crime after volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation were set on fire on Monday.

The London Fire Brigade says it was alerted to vehicles on fire at Highfield Court in Golders Green at 01h40.

Firefighters called to the scene have found that multiple cylinders on the vehicles had exploded, breaking windows in an adjacent block.

London’s Metropolitan Police say the burnt vehicles were four Hatzalah ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance service.

“Officers remain on scene and the arson attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime,” the police say in a statement.

No injuries have been reported, and all the fires have been put out, they add.

“We are in the process of examining CCTV footage and are aware of online footage. We believe we are looking for three suspects at this early stage,” superintendent Sarah Jackson says, adding that no arrest has been made.

Nearby houses have been evacuated as a precaution and road closures remain in place.

The London Fire Brigade says the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Shomrim North West London, a charity and volunteer neighbourhood watch group, have condemned the arson attack, branding it a “targeted and deeply concerning incident affecting a vital emergency service serving the local Jewish community”.

“An attack on these ambulances is an attack on the safety, well-being, and resilience of our community . . . There is no place for antisemitism or hate in our society,” the group writes on Facebook.

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