4 ambulances from Jewish group set on fire in London in suspected antisemitic hate crime

London — Police in London are investigating a suspected anti-Semitic 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 area with a large Jewish population, after receiving reports of a fire.

Four ambulances belonging to Hatzola Northwest, a voluntary organization that provides emergency medical response, were damaged, according to the London Fire Brigade.

Several cylinders of the vehicles exploded, causing windows in an adjacent building to break, the ministry said in a statement, adding that no injuries were reported and the fire was brought under control.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, authorities said.

“We know this incident will cause a lot of concern in the community and officers remain on scene to carry out urgent inquiries,” Police Commissioner Sarah Jackson said.

She added that police are looking for three suspects but no arrests have yet been made.

Police said the reported explosions were linked to gas canisters in the ambulances. Neighboring homes were evacuated as a precaution.

Mark Reisner, an eyewitness who lives in the area, heard loud explosions and arrived at the scene “just as the third ambulance exploded”, he told Sky News.

“A very loud explosion, you kind of felt it go through your gut,” he said, adding: “It left us all in shock and confusion.”

Shomrim, a nonprofit organization that runs a neighborhood watch in the area, condemned the attack. “This was not just an arson attack, but a targeted and deeply concerning incident affecting a vital emergency service serving the local Jewish community,” he said in a post on X.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the incident, calling it a “deeply shocking anti-Semitic arson attack,” adding that “anti-Semitism has no place in our society,” according to the Reuters news service.

The number of anti-Semitic incidents reported across the UK has soared since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in late 2023, according to the Community Security Trust, which works to protect the Jewish community. The group recorded 3,700 in 2025, compared to 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.