Three charged with arson after four Jewish community ambulances set on fire in London
Three men have been charged after four Jewish community ambulances were targeted in an arson attack in north-west London.
Hamza Iqbal, 20, and Rehan Khan, 19, both British citizens from Leyton, and a 17-year-old boy from Walthamstow, who is a dual British and Pakistani citizen, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.
After being arrested as part of a Counter-Terrorism Policing (CTP) investigation, they were charged with arson due to carelessness as to whether life safety would be endangered.
Four ambulances belonging to volunteer-led ambulance service Hatzola, which operates in the Golders Green area of north-west London, were set on fire in the early hours of March 23, causing gas cylinders stored in the vehicles to explode.
Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of London Counter Terrorism Police, said: “Since this horrific attack last week we have been working continuously to investigate and identify those responsible.
“The investigation has now reached the stage where three people have been charged and they will now appear in court.”
Two other men, aged 45 and 47, also British, who were arrested last week, were also released on bail until the end of April.
The incident is not considered terrorism, but CTP said the investigation is being carried out by detectives due to the “circumstances of the incident”.
