Three males are due in appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday charged in connection with a major arson attack which destroyed four Jewish community ambulances in north-west London.
Hamza Iqbal, 20, and Rehan Khan, 19, both British nationals from Leyton, and a 17-year-old dual British and Pakistani national from Walthamstow, have been charged with arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered, contrary to the Criminal Damage Act 1971. The charges follow an investigation led by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, March 23, at approximately 1:35am on Highfield Road in Golders Green. Four ambulances belonging to the Hatzola volunteer emergency service, parked on the property of the Machzike Hadath Orthodox Jewish synagogue, were deliberately set alight. The intensity of the blaze caused oxygen cylinders stored inside the vehicles to explode, seriously damaging the synagogue’s roof, breaking its stained-glass windows, and smashing windows in a nearby apartment block.
Forty firefighters attended the scene, bringing the fire under control by 3:06am. Three of the specialised ambulances were destroyed and a fourth was seriously damaged. The Metropolitan Police confirmed no injuries were reported.
Why counter-terror police are leading the case
While the investigation is not currently being treated as terrorism, detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing are leading the inquiry due to what the force described as “the circumstances of the incident”. This approach is not uncommon in cases where the targeting of a community or institution suggests a potential extremist motive, even if a formal terrorism designation requires a higher threshold of evidence regarding specific intent or group affiliation.
The context of the attack has amplified this scrutiny. The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist communications, reported that a group calling itself the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand (Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya), which it describes as an Iran-aligned militant collective, has claimed responsibility. Official sources have not yet definitively established any links to Iran.
Beyond the CTP investigation, the attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned what he called a “horrific antisemitic arson attack”, stating that antisemitism has “no place in our society”.
Two other men, aged 45 and 47, were arrested on March 25 on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. Both British nationals, they have been released on bail until late April pending further inquiries.
The targeted Hatzola service, whose name means “rescue” in Hebrew, is a volunteer-led, community-funded ambulance organisation operating in areas including Golders Green, Hendon, and Finchley. It works in partnership with the London Ambulance Service and other emergency services, responding to calls from anyone in need regardless of faith. The charity receives no government or NHS funding.
The destroyed vehicles represented around half of Hatzola’s London fleet. Despite the attack, the service continued operating without interruption, with the London Ambulance Service loaning it four vehicles as an interim measure. The UK government has pledged to fund the replacement of the destroyed ambulances.
In response to the attack, the Metropolitan Police have implemented an enhanced policing plan across London, increasing security with visible patrols around Jewish schools, synagogues, and community centres.
