Several cylinders in the vehicles exploded, damaging windows in an apartment block
London police are investigating an alleged anti-Semitic hate crime after vehicles belonging to a Jewish ambulance service were set on fire today.
Officers were called to Golders Green, a London neighborhood with a large Jewish community, after receiving reports of a fire.
Four ambulances from Hatzola Northwest, a voluntary organization that provides emergency medical services, were damaged, according to London firefighters.
Several cylinders in the vehicles exploded, damaging windows in an adjacent apartment block, firefighters said in a statement, stressing that there were no reports of injuries and that the fire had been brought under control. Authorities indicated that the cause of the fire is being investigated.
“We know that this incident will cause great concern in the community and officers remain on site carrying out urgent measures,” said Superintendent Sarah Jackson. The official added that the police are looking for three suspects, but no arrests have yet been made.
The police explained that the reports of explosions are related to gas cylinders in the ambulances. Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.
The organization Shomrim, which operates a community surveillance system in the area, condemned the attack. “This was not just an act of arson, but a targeted and deeply worrying incident that affected a vital emergency service for the local Jewish community,” he wrote in a post on the X network.
The number of anti-Semitic incidents reported across the United Kingdom has soared since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in late 2023, according to the Community Security Trust, an entity that protects the Jewish community. The group registered 3,700 cases in 2025, compared to 1,662 in 2022.
