Incendiary Assault Targets Jewish Ambulances in London, Sparks Security Alarm

London— Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community volunteer organization were set on fire overnight in north London in what Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as an antisemitic arson attack, authorities said, with no injuries reported despite explosions that damaged nearby property.

The London Fire Brigade said it deployed six fire engines and about 40 firefighters to the scene near a synagogue in Golders Green, where multiple cylinders inside the vehicles exploded, shattering windows in an adjacent apartment block.

The fire was brought under control by 0306 GMT.The ambulances were operated by Hatzola, a not-for-profit volunteer emergency response group serving the Jewish community.

Starmer called the incident “deeply shocking” and said antisemitism had no place in British society. Writing on X, he said his thoughts were with the Jewish community affected by the attack.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also condemned the incident and said police patrols in the area would be increased.

The Metropolitan Police said officers remained at the scene and that the case was being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.

The SITE Intelligence Group reported that an Iran-aligned militant collective calling itself the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand had claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group has allegedly been linked to similar arson incidents targeting Jewish sites in Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands, according to the same source.Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust, said the incident bore “an obvious parallel” to recent anti-Jewish arson attacks in cities including Liege, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

Attacks on Jewish individuals and institutions have risen globally since the October 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. British authorities have also reported a sustained increase in antisemitic incidents during this period.

Starmer said earlier this month that the government would work with both Muslim and Jewish organizations to ensure adequate security at sensitive locations, warning that broader regional conflicts, including tensions involving Iran, risk exacerbating domestic divisions.

Britain has seen several serious incidents in recent years, including a 2025 attack in Manchester in which two Jewish worshippers were killed during Yom Kippur.