LONDON — Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish volunteer EMS organization were set on fire in London in what police are investigating as an antisemitic hate crime.
The ambulances were operated by Hatzola Northwest, a volunteer emergency medical response group serving the Jewish community in Golders Green, a north London neighborhood with a large Jewish population, according to the Associated Press. No one was injured, but the March 23 fire triggered multiple oxygen cylinder explosions inside the vehicles, shattering windows in a nearby apartment building and prompting evacuations.
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London’s Metropolitan Police said counter-terror officers are leading the investigation, although the incident has not been formally classified as terrorism. Police are searching for three suspects.
A firefighter and a police officer look at a burnt Ambulance in Golders Green, 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)
Alberto Pezzali/AP
An officer from an emergency response unit watches a firefighter response team in London, Monday, March 23, 2026 after an apparent arson attack on four vehicles belonging to the Jewish ambulance service, Hatzola Northwest, in London.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Alberto Pezzali/AP
Britain’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting, at Golders Green 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)
Alberto Pezzali/AP
View at burnt Ambulances in a car park at Golders Green 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)
Alberto Pezzali/AP
View at burnt Ambulances in a car park at Golders Green 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)
Alberto Pezzali/AP
The fire damaged four ambulances, according to the London Fire Brigade. Video circulating on social media appears to show three hooded individuals carrying a canister toward one of the vehicles before flames erupted.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident a “horrific” antisemitic attack.
“This is a deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack. My thoughts are with the Jewish community who are waking up this morning to this horrific news,” Starmer said. “Antisemitism has no place in our society. Anyone with any information must come forward to the police.”
In a statement posted on X, Shomrim, a neighborhood watch group in the area, called the fire “a targeted and deeply concerning incident affecting a vital emergency service serving the local Jewish community.”
The attack hit more than vehicles. It also struck a service relied on for emergency care.
The fire comes as Britain’s Jewish community faces heightened concern over rising antisemitic incidents. The Community Security Trust reported 3,700 incidents across the U.K. in 2025, up from 1,662 in 2022.
