Two Men Arrested Over Jewish Charity Ambulance Arson Attacks, Third Suspect Still At Large

Counter terrorism detectives have arrested two men in connection with Monday's arson attack on Jewish charity ambulances in Golders Green, though police have warned that a third suspect remains at large.

The two men aged 47 and 45 were arrested on Wednesday morning at addresses in north-west London and central London on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. Both men remain in custody while officers carry out searches at the two addresses, which are understood to be near Kilburn and King's Cross.

Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, described the arrests as "an important breakthrough" but stressed that the investigation is far from over. "We have been working around the clock since this appalling attack took place and this has led to these arrests being made this morning," she said. "We're also mindful that CCTV footage of the incident 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."

The attack took place at around 1:35am on Monday, when three hooded individuals were captured on CCTV pouring accelerant over Hatzola ambulances parked outside the Machzike Hadath Synagogue. Four vehicles were set alight, with gas canisters on board causing explosions that blew out windows in nearby buildings including the synagogue, and forced residents to be evacuated. Three ambulances were completely destroyed and a fourth was heavily damaged.

Although the case is currently being treated as an antisemitic hate crime rather than a terror incident, counter terrorism officers are leading the investigation. An Islamist group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, which has been described as newly formed and is believed to have links to Iran, claimed responsibility online, posting what appeared to be a video on Telegram showing a map of the attack location and footage of the burning ambulances. Police said they were working to establish the authenticity of the claim. The group has previously claimed responsibility for similar arson incidents elsewhere in Europe.

Four government-supplied replacement ambulances have already arrived at Hatzola, and more than £1.3 million has been raised across multiple fundraising pages since the attack. Hatzola chairman Shloimie Richman said the donated money would be put towards building a new, secure headquarters.

The Community Security Trust welcomed the arrests but said that community protection measures would not be scaled back. "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. Police security measures and CST's own security operations will therefore remain at their current high level," the charity said.

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said enhanced patrols would continue across London, including deploying armed officers to vulnerable sites. "I must stress that these are precautionary and not in response to any specific threat," he said, while reiterating that the investigation remained active.

Anyone with information can contact police on 101 quoting reference 415 of 23rd March, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.