Two men have been arrested in the United Kingdom on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life after four Jewish charity-owned ambulances were set on fire in north London.
The incident occurred in Golders Green in the early hours of Monday, where four ambulances belonging to Hatzola were deliberately set ablaze in what police are treating as an antisemitic hate crime.
The Metropolitan Police Service confirmed that a 47-year-old man was arrested in north-west London on Wednesday morning, while a second suspect, aged 45, was detained in central London.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of counter terrorism policing London, described the arrests as an “important breakthrough” but said the force was aware of CCTV footage which “suggests there were at least three people involved”.
“We fully recognise the local community will still be concerned and our investigation very much remains active and we will continue to work to identify and seek to arrest all of those who may have been involved,” she added.
Police previously said the probe was examining possible links to an Islamist group with alleged connections to Iran.
A group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya – The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand – made an unsubstantiated claim of responsibility for the attack.
The group has also claimed involvement in several similar arson incidents across Europe.
Although the case is not being treated as a terror incident, the investigation is being led by counter-terrorism officers.
Community Security Trust, which monitors antisemitism in the UK and provides protection for British Jews, welcomed the arrests, saying, “We are grateful to the officers who have worked tirelessly to find those accountable.
“While this development is an important step forward, we know the community will understandably remain concerned.”
It added that its security operations would remain at a “high level”.
Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said additional security measures had been introduced in the area, including police deployment to protect key locations and “additional highly visible armed police patrols”.
He stressed the measures were precautionary and not in response to any specific threat.
Officers are currently carrying out searches at the two London addresses where the suspects were arrested.
No injuries were reported, but explosions caused by gas canisters on board the ambulances shattered nearby windows and forced the evacuation of some residents.
Residents reported being woken by loud blasts during the night, with many expressing growing concern after the incident.
Three of Hatzola’s five ambulances were completely destroyed, while another was damaged.
Four replacement ambulances, donated by the government, arrived at Hatzola on Tuesday.
More than £1.3 million has been raised across multiple GoFundMe pages to support the service.
Hatzola chairman Shloimie Richman said funds donated since the attack would now go towards building a new, secure headquarters.
