Fire on Four Ambulances Sparks Arrests and Heightened Security

Police in London have detained two men, aged 45 and 47, over a blaze that set four volunteer ambulances on fire in Golders Green. The attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime, and investigators suspect the arson was intentional and dangerous. The suspects are being held at a city police station for questioning, while officers search two nearby homes for more clues.

Surveillance footage shows that three people may have been involved, raising the possibility of a larger plot. The Metropolitan Police are not yet calling it terrorism but are looking into a claim by an Iranian‑linked group that says it took responsibility.

The fire erupted early Monday morning, causing the ambulances of Hatzola Northwest to explode and damaging a nearby apartment block. The incident rattled the local Jewish community, which already feels uneasy because of ongoing Middle East conflicts and rising anti‑Jewish sentiment.

In response, the police have increased security around Jewish schools, synagogues and community centers ahead of Passover. They have also deployed visible armed patrols to deter further attacks.

Britain has long accused Iran of using proxies to target Jewish and media interests across Europe, citing over twenty potential plots that were stopped last year. The claim of responsibility comes from a group called Harakat Ashab al‑Yamin al‑Islamia, linked to pro‑Iran networks and said to have carried out attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Police officials say they are still investigating the claim and have not yet linked the attack to Iran definitively.