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This blog is now closing. Below is a roundup of this top story:<\/p>\n
Officers were called to Highfield Road in Golders Green at about 1.45am on Monday after receiving reports of ambulances on fire near the Machzike Hadath synagogue.<\/p>\n
The torched emergency vehicles were run by Hatzola Northwest, a Jewish charity established in 1979 and run by volunteers providing free medical transportation and emergency response to Jewish and non-Jewish people in north London.<\/p>\n
Keir Starmer called for communities to \u201call stand together\u201d in the face of the \u201chorrific antisemitic attack\u201d. He said: \u201cMy thoughts, I think all of our thoughts, will be with those in the vicinity, the residents who are understandably very concerned, the Jewish community across the country deeply concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Met said the incident was being treated as an antisemitic hate crime and counter-terrorism officers are leading the investigation. Security agencies are investigating whether a group linked to Iran is behind an arson attack on four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in north London.<\/p>\n
The Metropolitan police said efforts to authenticate a claim of responsibility made by a group known as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI) were a \u201cpriority\u201d as they sought to track three hooded people caught on CCTV at the scene.<\/p>\n
Security sources have cautioned against a rush to tie Iran to the arson, leaving open the possibility of an antisemitic attack with no link to Iran or any organised group. It has not so far been designated as a terrorist incident.<\/p>\n
Here is our full report<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n An Al Jazeera news crew was forced to leave the scene of the arson attack after a crowd chanted \u201cgo home\u201d.<\/p>\n Footage from Reuters appears to show one man telling a crew member: \u201cGo take your briefcase, go take your Al Jazeera equipment and go. No one wants Al Jazeera here.\u201d Another man tells him: \u201cGo back to Qatar\u201d before he leaves. It is not clear how the altercation started.<\/p>\n Later, the crowd chants \u201cAl Jazeera off our streets\u201d and \u201cgo home\u201d. At one point, someone appears to shout \u201cterrorists\u201d.<\/p>\n One police officer tells the crowd: \u201cThey\u2019re reporting the news\u201d before one man says: \u201cWe feel threatened by Al Jazeera being here. We feel threatened. We don\u2019t feel safe.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reporting is going to go to potential terrorists. That\u2019s why we don\u2019t want to see that on our streets. For our safety, please remove them from our streets.\u201d<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.19 EDT<\/p>\n Scotland\u2019s first minister has said he was \u201chorrified\u201d by the arson attacks.<\/p>\n In a post on X on Monday afternoon John Swinney said: \u201cI am horrified to see the attacks on the Jewish community charity ambulances in London. Violence and antisemitism are completely unacceptable in our society.<\/p>\n \u201cI extend my sympathy to the Jewish community at this attack.\u201d<\/p>\n I am horrified to see the attacks on the Jewish community charity ambulances in London. Violence and anti-Semitism are completely unacceptable in our society. I extend my sympathy to the Jewish community at this attack.<\/p>\n \u2014 John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) March 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Laurence Blitz, chair of trustees for volunteer paramedic organisation Hatzolah UK, has said the service \u201ccontinues unbroken\u201d in the aftermath of the Golders Green arson attack.<\/p>\n double quotation markIn a statement, Blitz said: \u201cWhat happened overnight is shocking in the extreme. The emergency services were magnificent and we are deeply grateful. However, our phones haven\u2019t stopped, our volunteers are responding to call outs, and our service continues unbroken.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have no time to grieve. We are grateful to the London ambulance service and St John Ambulance who have loaned us vehicles, to the government who offered to replace the ambulances we have lost, and to the health secretary and our MP for their support. Our schools are open, our shuls are full, our shops, cafes and restaurants busy; life goes on.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a> The Rt Revd Dr Anderson Jeremiah, the Bishop of Edmonton and the Diocese of London\u2019s racial lead, has said \u201cthe fragile bonds\u201d of communities were being \u201cwilfully undermined\u201d as he condemned the Golders Green attack.<\/p>\n double quotation markJeremiah said: \u201cThere is absolutely no place for antisemitism in our society. We have seen a steady and alarming increase in antisemitic hate crimes across the country, fuelled by increasingly polarized rhetoric. The fragile bonds of our community are being wilfully undermined by those who seek to sow fear and anxiety among minority groups.<\/p>\n \u201cThe events of last night serve as a sobering reminder of how deeply we are all connected, and how global tensions can manifest as local tragedies. Earlier today, I visited Damon Hoff, President and Chair of Machzike Hadath Synagogue. His congregation sits directly adjacent to where these ambulances were set ablaze \u2014 a chilling proximity that underscores the gravity of the threat faced by our community.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a resident of Golders Green, I am appalled by the cowardly and mindless arson attack on a local medical emergency charity last night. This act of violence is a direct assault on the values of care and compassion that define our neighbourhood.<\/p>\n \u201cTargeting a charity dedicated to providing emergency medical aid to anyone in need \u2014regardless of background \u2014 exposes not only a profound moral bankruptcy but a dangerous desire to divide us. We must stand firm against the fringe elements seeking to fracture our peace. As Jesus Christ said, \u201cBlessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God\u201d, may we actively seek peace and love in our midst.<\/p>\n \u201cWe stand in unwavering solidarity with our Jewish neighbours. Let there be peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.29 EDT<\/p>\n Shadow home secretary Chris Philp has said the government \u201cmust do a lot more to fight antisemitism\u201d in his response to Jarvis\u2019s statement on the attack, where he also launched a diatribe against \u201cIslamists\u201d and called for the UK to leave the EHRC and \u201cremove all illegal immigrants within a week of their arrival\u201d.<\/p>\n Philp began by telling the Commons: \u201cWe have seen a recent antisemitic murder and a surge in antisemitism, but too little has been done, as this morning\u2019s outrage demonstrates.\u201d<\/p>\n He then went on to say \u201cantisemitism often goes hand in hand with Islamist extremism\u201d before claiming that \u201c94% of terrorist murders in the last 25 years were perpetrated by Islamists and yet only 10% of the Prevent caseload is Islamist\u201d.<\/p>\n Philp then mentioned \u201cunvetted\u201d people coming to the UK on small boats, calling it a \u201cnational security crisis\u201d before calling on the UK to leave the European convention on human rights.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we are serious about protecting the public, we must leave the ECHR and remove all illegal immigrants within a week of their arrival,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.12 EDT<\/p>\n Ending his statement, Jarvis adressed the Jewish community, saying the government \u201cwill do everything in our power to keep you and your family safe\u201d.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cWhether you live here in London or in any part of the United Kingdom, please know that we stand with you. We are here for you, and we will do everything in our power to keep you and your family safe, not just today after this appalling incident, but every day.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.12 EDT<\/p>\n Jarvis said: \u201cThe prime minister has been clear that this government will lead the way, including through a relentless national security effort which is being mounted around the clock by MI5 and the police, who of course, have our full backing in their work to detect and disrupt plots targeting the Jewish community in our country.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Jarvis said: \u201cNow shocking though it was to wake to this morning\u2019s developments, I know that for many, this outrage will not have come as a surprise, occurring as it has at a time of profound distress and vulnerability within our Jewish communities.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, given the vicious torrent of antisemitism that was unleashed following the October 7 attacks, a dreadful manifestation of which we saw to our horror in Manchester last year when Heaton Park Hebrew congregation synagogue was the subject of a sickening act of terrorism on Yom Kippur.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, as at that profoundly difficult moment, and as in the aftermath of the subsequent atrocity on Bondi Beach in Sydney, we declare once more that we stand with our Jewish friends, colleagues and neighbours. And with the oldest hatred on the rise, we assert our unwavering commitment to defeat it.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Jarvis said: \u201cAs the home secretary has told the House earlier, support for the Jewish community in London is being stepped up. The police have the unshakable backing of this government.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Security minister Dan Jarvis is giving a statement on the attack in the Commons now.<\/p>\n He said police are treating the attack as an antisemitic hate crime.<\/p>\n \u201cThe investigation is now being led by counter-terrorism policing, although I should emphasise that this has not been declared a terrorist incident at this stage. No arrests have been made,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.12 EDT<\/p>\n One Golders Green resident has said it is important to \u201cstand up for the right values and join together on things that bind us\u201d in the wake of the arson attack.<\/p>\n Sheina, 31, who did not want to give her last name for safety reasons, told PA Media: \u201cJust because three people decided to do something that\u2019s hate-filled, does not mean my sense of safety should be threatened.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like Jews are always framed as victims because we get targeted, but I think it\u2019s also important to point out that Jews are very strong people.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just want to live in peace with everyone, and it would be in everybody\u2019s best interest for themselves to do so as well.\u201d<\/p>\n She added: \u201cPeople should be aware that the atmosphere of appeasement leads to this.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is important that people stand up for the right values and join together on things that bind us together and not stay quiet and let what happened in Nazi Germany happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Kemi Badenoch said an antisemitic arson attack in Golders Green on Monday morning demonstrated \u201can increase in the hatred of Jews\u201d.<\/p>\n The Conservative party leader said: \u201cShowing action, not just words, I think, is what Jewish people want to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Badenoch told PA Media while on a visit to King\u2019s Lynn, Norfolk: \u201cIt\u2019s quite clear that there is a particular problem with rising attacks on Jewish people. There is an increase in the hatred of Jews.\u201d<\/p>\n She added: \u201cI think that we need to do more than just telling Jewish people to have more security. I think it\u2019s appalling that I go to Jewish primary schools and they\u2019ve got security guards standing outside.\u201d<\/p>\n Badenoch\u2019s comments on the attack comes days after she backed<\/a> her shadow justice secretary, Nick Timothy, after he claimed that Islamic prayers taking place in public are intimidating, un-British and an \u201cact of domination\u201d, comments that have been roundly condemned as Islamophobic.<\/p>\n Keir Starmer claimed<\/a> they showed the Conservative party \u201chas a problem with Muslims\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.13 EDT<\/p>\n Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has vowed to \u201cpursue\u201d anybody who may have attacked Hatzola in north-west London, and \u201cmake them face the consequences of this wicked crime\u201d.<\/p>\n She told the Commons that \u201cmercifully, no one was hurt\u201d in the incident.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd for that, we owe our thanks to the police and fire services who responded with speed and professionalism,\u201d Mahmood continued.<\/p>\n \u201cAn investigation is underway. We know the Metropolitan Police are treating this as an antisemitic hate crime and have stepped up their support to Jewish communities across London.<\/p>\n \u201cThat the attack was directed at Hatzola, a community ambulance service, an institution devoted to saving lives, illustrates how warped those behind this attack are.<\/p>\n \u201cI am pleased that the health secretary [Wes Streeting] is providing replacement ambulances but clearly justice is required.<\/p>\n \u201cThere have as yet been no arrests, but the perpetrators must be in no doubt – we will pursue them and make them face the consequences of this wicked crime.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Volunteers with the Jewish ambulance service charity, Hatzola, said the community is still reeling from the attack this morning.<\/p>\n Yossi Pincus, a volunteer senior paramedic and the registered manager of the North West London Hatzola, said:<\/p>\n double quotation markEveryone is still reeling from the attack. Despite what society has become, it is still not expected, but we soldier on.<\/p>\n It has been somewhat simmering under the surface. There has definitely been a significant rise in antisemitism, and there is an intrinsic problem nationwide that does need to be addressed urgently.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Kevin Rawlinson<\/p>\n The blasts that boomed out in the early hours of Monday in suburban north-west London<\/a> struck terror into people living in the surrounding streets. Their effects in Golders Green, with its large Jewish population, were still reverberating the following morning.<\/p>\n The antisemitic attack, in which four ambulances run by the Jewish charity Hatzola were set on fire, has left local people afraid. They are afraid because of the incident itself \u2013 but also because of what they see as a febrile atmosphere of antisemitism in the UK more generally.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are frightened. I am feeling vulnerable. If you had heard the explosions, it really was terrifying,\u201d said Damon Hoff, the president of the Machzike Hadath synagogue; on whose land the ambulances were stationed.<\/p>\n Hoff, who was called to the scene in the immediate aftermath of the incident, said the UK\u2019s Jewish community felt besieged \u2013 and constantly at the sharp end of events that were inherently global in nature. \u201cI\u2019m aware it is a global set of incidents; it is not just a UK or Jewish community issue. But, at the centre of the issue is the Jewish community.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the site of the attack was locally recognised as the centre of the Golders Green\u2019s Jewish community, saying: \u201cKnock on any door around here, and they will know where the Hatzola ambulances are. There is no mincing words \u2013 this is an attack on the heart of this community.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked to sum up how Golders Green was feeling the morning after, he said: \u201cYou are frightened, and you are feeling vulnerable. I\u2019m here to represent a community that needs broad shoulders to rest on. The Jewish community has been under siege, and the streets of London are not good for Jewish people right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Sam Adler, who lives nearby, added: \u201cTo target the heart of Golders Green is cynical and cowardly, because everyone knows why they have done it. One bit of negative press about Jews just gives them fuel to target us \u2013 there is no other reason.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.48 EDT<\/p>\n Forensic police officers are now carrying out searches alongside Brookside Road, near to the site where the ambulances were set ablaze.<\/p>\n The BBC reported that the arsonists used the area to flee after setting the ambulances ablaze, without explaining how they got that information. It said that officers were using cameras attached to telescopic poles to check house gutters.<\/p>\n A police forensic team carry out investigations at a location near to the scene after four Hatzola ambulances were set on fire overnight Photograph: Leon Neal\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.50 EDT<\/p>\n Starmer says antisemitic arson attack an attack ‘not just on Jewish community’, but on everyone who values tolerance Keir Starmer starts with a comment about the attack on the Jewish ambulance service overnight.<\/p>\n He says:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe idea that ambulances could be considered a target is simply horrendous. And I know the impact that that will have had on so many individuals, not just those, in the area \u2026<\/p>\n The whole Jewish community, across the country, not least, because this is not an isolated incident and the rise of antisemitic hatred is there for all to see.<\/p>\n He confirms that the government will replace the ambulances. He goes on:<\/p>\n double quotation markThat is the right thing to do. But it also underscores what I think is a really important principle that this is not just an attack on the Jewish community, but it\u2019s attack on all of us, on everyone who holds the fundamental British values of tolerance and respect.<\/p>\n Starmer says he has also discussed this today with Sarah Sackman, the constituency MP, and with Jewish leaders.<\/p>\n![\"Al](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774294988_44_1920.jpg\")
Al Jazeera camera crew told to ‘go home’ at scene of Jewish ambulance attack \u2013 videoShare<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Chris_Osuh.png\")
Chris Osuh<\/p>\n![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774294989_147_Andrew_Sparrow,_R.png\")
Andrew Sparrow<\/p>\n