British police arrest 2 men over Jewish ambulances attack

2026-03-25 - 11:11

The ambulances were set on fire early Monday while they were parked next to a synagogue in the Golders Green area of London. (EPA Images pic) LONDON: British police said on Wednesday they had arrested two men over a London arson attack on four volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation. The arrests came after police said they were investigating an online claim of responsibility by a little-known Islamist group which has possible links to Iran. The ambulances were set on fire early Monday while they were parked next to a synagogue in the Golders Green area of London, which has a large Jewish population. The Metropolitan Police said two men aged 47 and 45 were arrested by counter-terrorism detectives “on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life”. This offence carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. The police statement did not mention a terror charge. Police earlier said the attack was being treated “as an antisemitic hate crime”. The men were arrested at addresses in central and northwestern London where officers were carrying out searches, police said. The Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) group, meaning ‘The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand’, claimed Monday’s attack in a Telegram post after saying it was also responsible for similar attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands. Two minors were arrested in Belgium on Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in a “terrorist” organisation after a car was set on fire in Antwerp’s Jewish quarter, also claimed by HAYI. The SITE monitoring service has said the group is aligned with Iran. ‘Important breakthrough’ London police chief Mark Rowley said late Monday his forces were “pursuing all lines of enquiry, including an online claim of responsibility by an Islamist group who have claimed other attacks across Europe and have potential Iranian state links”. The attack targeted ambulances run by the volunteer organisation Hatzola, which provides free medical transportation and emergency response to those living in north London. The head of counterterrorism policing for London, Helen Flanagan, was quoted as saying Wednesday the arrests appeared to be an “important breakthrough in the investigation”. But she conceded that CCTV footage of the incident showed three people involved. Police said the footage showed three people in hoods pouring an accelerant on the vehicles, setting them on fire and fleeing. The investigation “very much remains active” and police will “seek to arrest all of those who may have been involved”, Flanagan said. Investigators have appealed for people to submit mobile phone images related to the attack. Police have announced “highly visible” patrols following the attack, which comes amid an upsurge in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in Britain, particularly during the recent war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Golders Green has recently become a rallying point for the capital’s Iranian community. A memorial wall put up there to commemorate victims of the Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel now also has pictures of victims of Iran’s crackdown on protestors.