Arson attack on Jewish ambulances in London draws counterterror probe

MANCHESTER, England (CN) — Counterterrorism police are leading an investigation after four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community charity were set on fire early Monday in north London, an attack that shattered nearby windows and forced residents from their homes.

The London Fire Brigade said crews were called about 1:40 a.m. local time (9:40 p.m. EDT), as multiple cylinders inside the ambulances exploded as the blaze spread, sending shockwaves through nearby apartments.

Six fire engines and 40 firefighters responded to contain the fire, while 30 people were moved to a nearby shelter after homes were evacuated as a precaution. Officials said the fire was brought under control overnight.

Police said CCTV footage shows suspects approaching the vehicles before the attack.

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said investigators believe three people were involved. He described footage showing “three people in hoods pouring accelerant onto vehicles before igniting it.”

He added the incident has not yet been declared terrorism but is being handled by specialist officers.

No arrests have been made yet.

The Metropolitan Police are verifying an online claim of responsibility by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, an Iran-linked Islamist militant group.

“It is not something we can confirm at this point,” the Metropolitan Police said on Monday.

Earlier this month, Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said the group had claimed responsibility for a fire outside a synagogue in Rotterdam and attacks targeting Jewish sites in Belgium and Amsterdam.

Government condemns attack

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “deeply shocking” and “horrific” while urging anyone with information to contact police.

“This is a horrific antisemitic attack,” he said. “My thoughts, I think all of our thoughts, will be with those in the vicinity, the residents who are understandably very concerned, the Jewish community across the country deeply concerned.”

Starmer said he had spoken with community leaders and stressed the need for unity.

“Antisemitism has no place in our society and it’s really important that we all stand together at a moment like this,” he said.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the government will fund replacements for the destroyed vehicles and provide four ambulances by Tuesday morning so emergency responses continue without interruption.

“The Jewish community should not be left footing the bill for this appalling attack on a brilliant ambulance service,” he said.

Streeting added that those responsible should know “the Jewish community will not face up to this hatred alone. The whole country will stand with them.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the attack marked a “dark day for London.”

“Jewish Londoners who volunteer to provide a service for all Londoners have been attacked for no other reason than because they are Jewish,” he said. “This is an antisemitic hate crime. And it’s really important for all of us to show allyship to the Jewish community.”

Community leaders also condemned the attack.

The Jewish Leadership Council said it was “particularly sickening that someone’s hatred of Jews drives them to target vital ambulance services” and warned of what it called a “tidal wave of hatred” against Jewish people in recent years.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, a leading religious figure for Britain’s Jewish community, visited the scene and called it the latest in “a series of antisemitic crime incidents right around the globe.”

Rise in antisemitic incidents

The investigation comes amid a rise in antisemitic incidents across the U.K., according to figures from the Community Security Trust, a charity that monitors anti-Jewish hate crimes.

The group recorded 3,700 incidents in 2025, the second-highest total it has documented in a single year and a 4% increase from 2024.

London and Manchester together accounted for 61% of those reports, with 1,844 incidents recorded in Greater London and 425 in Greater Manchester.

Recent attacks have heightened concerns among authorities.

In October last year, a man drove into worshippers outside a synagogue in north Manchester on Yom Kippur, leaving two people dead and three seriously injured before armed police shot the suspect.

Counterterrorism officers treated the attack as terrorism and arrested two people in connection with the case.

Last month, two men were sentenced to life in prison after plotting what police said could have been the U.K.’s most deadly terror attack targeting the Jewish community in Manchester.

Prosecutors said they planned a gun assault on an antisemitism march before continuing attacks elsewhere in the city.

Investigators say they are still working to determine whether Monday’s arson attack in London is linked to extremist groups or part of a broader pattern of threats.

Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.

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