London: Jewish Ambulance Vehicles Set on Fire – Antisemitism Investigation

Four ambulances belonging to Hatzola Northwest, a Jewish community ambulance service, were destroyed by fire in the Golders Green area of London in the early hours of Monday morning, prompting a police investigation into a suspected antisemitic hate crime.

Officers responded to reports of a blaze in the largely Jewish neighborhood and discovered the vehicles ablaze. Explosions were heard in the vicinity of the Machzike Hadath synagogue, attributed by police to gas canisters carried on board the ambulances, according to the Metropolitan Police.

The London Fire Brigade stated that the explosions caused windows to break in a neighboring apartment building. Firefighters extinguished the fires, and no injuries were reported. Residents in the immediate area were temporarily evacuated as a precaution.

Surveillance footage circulating on social media appears to show three individuals, their faces obscured by hoods, dousing the ambulances with gasoline before igniting them, according to reports. Police Superintendent Sarah Jackson confirmed that investigators are seeking three suspects but have made no arrests to date. “We understand this incident will cause a great deal of community concern and officers remain on scene to carry out urgent enquiries,” she said.

Hatzola Northwest is a registered charity providing 24/7 emergency medical response within the Jewish community. The organization’s ambulances were completely destroyed in the attack.

Shomrim, a neighborhood watch organization serving the Jewish community, condemned the arson as a “targeted and deeply concerning incident affecting a vital emergency service.”

The incident occurs against a backdrop of escalating antisemitism in the United Kingdom. The Community Security Trust (CST) reported a significant increase in antisemitic incidents, recording 3,700 in 2025, a sharp rise from the 1,662 reported in 2022.

In October 2025, a separate incident in Manchester involved a vehicle being driven into people gathered outside a synagogue during Yom Kippur, resulting in two fatalities – one from the attack and another due to accidental shooting by police.

The Metropolitan Police investigation is ongoing, with authorities continuing to gather evidence and appeal for information.