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Vehicles belonging to Jewish ambulance service set on fire in London in apparent antisemitic attack
World
Vehicles belonging to Jewish ambulance service set on fire in London in apparent antisemitic attack
Vehicles belonging to Jewish ambulance service set on fire in London in apparent antisemitic attack
Published Mar 23, 2026 02:18 pm
Police blocks a road in London, Monday, March 23, 2026 after an apparent arson attack on four vehicles belonging to a Jewish ambulance service, Hatzola Northwest, in London.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
LONDON (AP) — Police in London are investigating a suspected antisemitic hate crime after vehicles belonging to a Jewish ambulance service were set on fire early Monday morning.
Officers were called to Golders Green, a London neighborhood with a large Jewish population, after receiving reports of a fire.
Four ambulances belonging to Hatzola Northwest, a volunteer organization that provides emergency medical response, were damaged, according to the London fire brigade.
Multiple cylinders on the vehicles exploded, causing windows to break in an adjacent block of flats, it said in a statement, adding that no injuries have been reported and the fire has been brought under control.
The cause of the fire is being investigated, authorities said.
“We know this incident will cause a great deal of community concern and officers remain on scene to carry out urgent enquiries,” Police Superintendent Sarah Jackson said.
She added that the police are looking for three suspects but no arrests have been made yet.
Police said reports of explosions were linked to gas canisters on the ambulances. Nearby homes were evacuated as a precautionary measure.
Mark Reisner, an eyewitness who lives in the neighborhood, heard loud explosions and arrived at the scene “just as the third ambulance was blowing up,” he told Sky News.
“A very loud explosion, you sort of felt it go through your guts,” he said, adding, “it's just left us all reeling with confusion and shock."
Shomrim, a nonprofit organization which operates a neighborhood watch in the area, condemned the attack. “This was not only a criminal act of arson, but a targeted and deeply concerning incident affecting a vital emergency service serving the local Jewish community,” it said in a post on X.
The number of antisemitic incidents reported across the U.K. has soared since the start of the Israel-Hamas War in late 2023, according to the Community Security Trust, which works to protect the Jewish community. The group recorded 3,700 in 2025, up from 1,662 in 2022.
In October 2025, an attacker drove his car into people gathered outside a Manchester synagogue to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur and stabbed one person to death. Another person died during the attack after being inadvertently shot by police.