UK police probe attack on Jewish ambulances as hate crime

London: British police said Monday they were investigating a suspected arson attack as an antisemitic hate crime, after volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation were set on fire.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the burning of four vehicles in north London as a “deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack”.

“My thoughts are with the Jewish community who are waking up this morning to this horrific news. Antisemitism has no place in our society,” he said in a post on X.

The London Fire Brigade said it was alerted to vehicles on fire at Highfield Court in Golders Green at 1.40am.

Some 40 firefighters called to the scene found that multiple cylinders on the vehicles had exploded, breaking windows in an adjacent block.

London’s Metropolitan Police force said the burnt vehicles were four Hatzalah ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance service.

“Officers remain on scene and the arson attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime,” police said in a statement.

No injuries have been reported and all the fires have been put out, police added.

“We are in the process of examining CCTV and are aware of online footage. We believe we are looking for three suspects at this early stage,” superintendent Sarah Jackson said, adding that no arrest has been made.

Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution while some roads in the area were closed.

London Fire Brigade said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Shomrim North West London, a charity and volunteer neighbourhood watch group, condemned the arson, branding it a “targeted and deeply concerning incident affecting a vital emergency service serving the local Jewish community”.

“An attack on these ambulances is an attack on the safety, wellbeing, and resilience of our community... There is no place for antisemitism or hate in our society,” the group wrote on Facebook.

Health Secretary West Streeting described the incident as “a sickening attack on Jewish ambulances” and called on anyone with information to share it with police.

Community Security Trust (CST), a charity which monitors antisemitism in the UK, said in a statement on X that it was assisting police in their enquiries.

The ambulances are run by Hatzola, which was established in 1979 and is operated by volunteers.

It provides free medical transportation and emergency response to those living in North London.

Monitoring groups have reported an upsurge in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in Britain in recent years.