Four men have pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to destroying four ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency service Hatzola in an arson attack that caused about £1 million of damage. The vehicles were set alight on the morning of 23 March while parked near a synagogue in Golders Green, north London.
What happened
Prosecutors said flames engulfed fully stocked ambulances, triggering explosions when gas canisters inside the vehicles detonated. The blaze also damaged nearby flats and the synagogue. Three of the defendants are said to have lit the ambulances while a fourth waited in a blue Toyota Avensis.
- The attack occurred on 23 March in Golders Green, a part of north London with a large Jewish community.
- Four Hatzola ambulances were destroyed; damage has been estimated at roughly £1m.
- Counter‑terrorism police led the subsequent investigation, and the four were arrested.
Defendants, pleas and arrests
The four men – Hamza Iqbal, 20; Rehan Khan, 19; Judex Atshatshi, 18; and Saif Ali, 18 – admitted a charge of destroying or damaging property being reckless as to whether life would be endangered. Atshatshi, Khan and Iqbal entered their pleas by video link from Wandsworth and Pentonville prisons, while Ali pleaded in person at the Old Bailey.
“The incident had a ‘terrorist connection’, ” the prosecutor was reported to have suggested in court.
Police had previously examined whether the attack was linked to overseas actors. Counter‑terror investigators looked into the possible involvement of Iranian proxies in this and other attacks on Jewish sites in London. Several incidents had been claimed online by a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al‑Yamin al‑Islamia (the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right). In response to such suggestions, Iran’s embassy in the UK issued a statement in April saying it “categorically rejects” allegations of involvement in "violent activities or incidents in the United Kingdom".
| Name | Age | Pleaded |
|---|---|---|
| Hamza Iqbal | 20 | Guilty |
| Rehan Khan | 19 | Guilty |
| Judex Atshatshi | 18 | Guilty |
| Saif Ali | 18 | Guilty |
Investigation details and evidence
Authorities said three defendants set fire to the ambulances while the fourth remained in the parked car. On arrest on 1 April, Saif Ali reportedly discarded his mobile phone out of a window. Court disclosures also identified online searches and communications: Ali had previously communicated about buying a blue Toyota Avensis in February and had researched the cost of ambulances, according to the prosecution.
Counter‑terror police conducted the probe following the blaze and the four were arrested as a result of that inquiry. The destruction of the vehicles not only inflicted heavy financial loss but also struck at community emergency resources provided by volunteer medics.
Community and security implications
The attack on Hatzola ambulances resonates beyond the immediate damage: it deprived a community of vital emergency response capacity and heightened fears among Britain's Jewish population over a series of attacks on communal sites. The involvement of specialist counter‑terror units underscores how the incident was treated by the authorities.
Further sentencing hearings and case management hearings are expected to follow in the coming weeks. Prosecutors will present more evidence at those stages while courts determine appropriate penalties for the defendants.
The prosecutions, the police investigation and international questions raised in court point to a case that will continue to attract attention from both the Jewish community and national-security watchers as it progresses through the legal system.
