Four Jewish volunteer ambulances were torched and destroyed outside a synagogue in north London in the early hours of Monday in what police are treating as a suspected antisemitic arson attack.
Police and fire crews were called at around 1:45 a.m. to Highfield Road in Golders Green, a neighborhood with one of London's largest Jewish communities, after reports that multiple vehicles were on fire near the Machzike Hadath synagogue.
Four ambulances operated by Hatzola Northwest, a volunteer-led Jewish emergency medical service, were found engulfed in flames and were later confirmed to be total losses. No injuries were reported, but nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution, according to People.
Security camera footage shows three masked suspects running toward the parked ambulances, appearing to pour an accelerant and ignite the vehicles before fleeing.
Police say they are searching for three individuals seen in the video and have made no arrests so far. The investigation is being led by Counter Terrorism Policing, although the incident has not been designated a terrorist attack at this stage.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed the blaze is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime, citing the location next to a synagogue and the targeting of clearly marked Jewish community ambulances.
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Officers are also reviewing an unverified online claim of responsibility linked to the attack. Forensic specialists have been examining the scene, and officers are conducting house-to-house inquiries and gathering additional CCTV from the surrounding streets.
Residents described being woken by loud explosions as oxygen and gas cylinders inside the ambulances erupted, shattering windows in a nearby block of flats and sending flames high into the night sky, CBS News reported.
The London Fire Brigade said six fire engines and about 40 firefighters brought the fire under control just after 3 a.m. Authorities said 34 residents were temporarily displaced due to the evacuations.
Hatzola Northwest's chairman, Shloimie Richman, said four of the organization's six ambulances were "deliberately targeted in an arson attack" but stressed that the service remains operational and able to respond to emergencies.
Local and national leaders, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, condemned the attack and called it a horrific example of antisemitic hatred. Police have appealed for witnesses and urged anyone with video or information to come forward, as per The Guardian.
