Jewish volunteer ambulances set on fire in U.K. ‘antisemitic arson attack’

Four Jewish community ambulances belonging to Hatzolah, a volunteer medical emergency service, were set on fire overnight while parked in a residential area of northwest London in what British leaders have identified as an “antisemitic arson attack.”

The London Fire Brigade, which sent six fire engines and 40 firefighters to the scene, said multiple cylinders on the vehicles exploded, shattering nearby windows. No injuries were reported, and no arrests have been made.

Security footage of the incident showed three suspects wearing hooded clothing approaching the vehicles before setting them alight.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident, which occurred at about 1:30 a.m. GMT on Monday, “a deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack.”

“My thoughts are with the Jewish community who are waking up this morning to this horrific news,” Starmer said on X. “Antisemitism has no place in our society.”

U.K. police said the fires were being treated as an antisemitic hate crime and that the investigation would be led by specialist counter-terrorism officers.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan condemned the attacks and vowed to increase security and police presence.

“This is a cowardly attack on the Jewish community. I am in close contact with the police who are stepping up patrols in the area, and I urge anyone with information to come forward. Londoners will never be cowed by this kind of hatred and intimidation,” he wrote on X.

The incident happened in the northwest London area of Golders Green, a neighbourhood home to a significant Jewish population.

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said in a statement on Instagram following the attack, “At a time when Jewish communities around the world are facing a growing pattern of these violent attacks, we will meet this moment with shared resolve and stand together against hatred and intimidation.”

The ambulances belonged to Hatzolah, a volunteer organization that responds to medical emergencies and works alongside the U.K.’s National Health Service.

It was founded in the 1960s in Brooklyn, New York, to provide medical services to its Yiddish-speaking, Hasidic community and his since expanded globally, offering emergency medical care to Jewish communities around the world.

Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg said the Hatzola service would continue to operate for the “nation that we love,” saying, “we shall not be moved.”

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting said the government would replace the ambulances.

More to come.

With files from Reuters