4 Vehicles Belonging To Jewish Ambulance Service Set On Fire In London, Police Say
LONDON (AP) — London police are investigating a suspected anti-Semitic hate crime after vehicles belonging to a Jewish ambulance service were set on fire early Monday morning.
Upon the report of a fire, police officers were called to the Golders Green neighborhood of London, where the Jewish population is dense.
Four ambulances belonging to Hatzola Northwest, a volunteer organization that provides emergency medical response, were damaged, according to the London fire brigade.
While the windows of the adjacent apartment block were broken as a result of the explosion of many cylinders in the vehicles, no injuries were reported and the fire was brought under control.
Authorities stated that the cause of the fire was being investigated.
Police Inspector Sarah Jackson said: “We know this incident will cause great concern to the community and officers will remain at the scene to carry out urgent investigations.”
He added that police are looking for three suspects but no arrests have been made yet.
Police said the explosions were linked to gas cylinders in the ambulances. As a precaution, surrounding houses were evacuated.
Eyewitness Mark Reisner, who lives in the neighbourhood, told Sky News he heard loud explosions and arrived at the scene “just as the third ambulance was blown up”.
“It was such a loud explosion, it felt like it ripped through your guts,” he said, adding, “it stunned us all with confusion and shock.”
Shomrim, a non-profit organization that organizes a neighborhood watch in the region, condemned the attack. “This is not only a criminal act of arson, but a targeted and deeply worrying incident affecting a vital emergency service serving the local Jewish community,” a post on X said.
The number of anti-Semitic incidents reported across the UK has increased since the start of the Israel-Hamas War in 2023, according to the Community Security Trust, which works to protect the Jewish community. The group grew from 1,662 in 2022 to 3,700 in 2025.
An attacker in October 2025 He drove his car into people He gathered outside a synagogue in Manchester to celebrate the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur and stabbed a person to death. One more person died in the attack accidentally shot by police.
