Jewish charity’s ambulances set on fire. UK counter-terror police probe it as antisemitic attack

In a disturbing incident that has shocked London’s Jewish community, four ambulances belonging to a Jewish emergency medical service were deliberately set ablaze early Monday morning in what authorities are investigating as an antisemitic hate crime.

The attack occurred in Golders Green, a north London neighborhood with a large Jewish population. The Metropolitan Police responded after receiving reports of the fire, which targeted vehicles owned by Hatzola Northwest, a volunteer organization that provides emergency medical services primarily to the local Jewish community.

Though no injuries were reported, the violence of the attack was intensified when multiple oxygen cylinders aboard the ambulances exploded, shattering windows in an adjacent apartment building and forcing the evacuation of nearby homes as a precautionary measure.

Security camera footage appears to show three hooded individuals in black clothing carrying a canister toward one of the ambulances before flames engulfed the vehicle. Counter-terrorism officers have been assigned to lead the investigation, though authorities have not classified the incident as a terrorist attack. Police are currently searching for three suspects, with no arrests made so far.

Mark Reisner, a local resident who witnessed the aftermath, described hearing powerful explosions that “you sort of felt go through your guts” as he arrived on the scene just as the third ambulance was exploding. “It’s just left us all reeling with confusion and shock,” he told Sky News.

The incident has heightened fears within Britain’s Jewish community, which has experienced a significant rise in antisemitic incidents since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. The Community Security Trust, an organization dedicated to protecting British Jews, recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents in 2023, more than double the 1,662 incidents reported in 2022.

Shomrim, a community safety group operating in the area, condemned the ambulance attack on social media as “a targeted and deeply concerning incident affecting a vital emergency service serving the local Jewish community.”

This attack follows other serious incidents targeting British Jews. In October 2023, an attacker drove into people outside a Manchester synagogue during Yom Kippur celebrations, stabbing one person to death, while another person died after being inadvertently shot by police during the incident. Just last week, two men in London were charged with conducting “hostile” surveillance of the UK’s Jewish community on behalf of Iran.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the “horrific” antisemitic attack, stating, “Antisemitism has no place in our society and it’s really important that we all stand together at a moment like this.”

However, some community members have criticized the government’s response to rising antisemitism. Peter Zinkin, a Conservative politician representing Golders Green on the local council, expressed the community’s “distress and anger,” suggesting that “the government and the media, particularly certain parts of the media, have validated antisemitism on a countrywide scale.”

Religious leaders joined in condemning the attack. Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally declared that “such acts of violence, hatred and intimidation have no place in our society,” while Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis described it as a “sickening assault,” adding, “At a time when Jewish communities around the world are facing a growing pattern of these violent attacks, we will meet this moment with shared resolve and stand together against hatred and intimidation.”

The targeting of emergency vehicles specifically designed to save lives has particularly disturbed local residents and community leaders, representing not only an attack on property but on the critical infrastructure that serves the community in times of medical need.

As the investigation continues, the incident underscores the increasing challenges facing Britain’s Jewish community amid rising global tensions and highlights the urgent need for effective measures to combat antisemitism and protect vulnerable communities.