UK police investigate apparent antisemitic attack after a Jewish
charity's ambulances set on fire
[March 23, 2026]
By KRUTIKA PATHI
LONDON (AP) — Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in London
were set on fire early Monday morning in London, in what British police
are investigating as an antisemitic hate crime.
No one was injured in the overnight attack, which shattered windows in
nearby homes.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the "deeply shocking antisemitic
arson attack.
“My thoughts are with the Jewish community who are waking up this
morning to this horrific news," he said.
Officers were called to Golders Green, a London neighborhood with a
large Jewish population, after receiving reports of a fire, the
Metropolitan Police force said.
Four ambulances belonging to Hatzola Northwest, a volunteer organization
that provides emergency medical response, were damaged, according to the
London Fire Brigade.
Multiple gas cylinders on the vehicles exploded, causing windows to
break in an adjacent apartment block. Nearby homes were evacuated as a
precautionary measure.
The cause of the fire is being investigated, authorities said. Police
said they are looking for three suspects but no arrests have been made
yet.
“We know this incident will cause a great deal of community concern and
officers remain on scene to carry out urgent enquiries,” Police
Superintendent Sarah Jackson said.
Mark Reisner, who lives in the neighborhood, heard loud explosions and
arrived at the scene “just as the third ambulance was blowing up," he
told Sky News.
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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)
“A very loud explosion, you sort of felt it go through your guts,”
he said, adding, “it's just left us all reeling with confusion and
shock."
Peter Zinkin, who represents Golders Green on the local council,
said he felt “shock and horror as you would expect, but the second
response is a deep and overwhelming sadness that this has happened.”
Shomrim, a nonprofit organization which operates a neighborhood
watch in the area, condemned the attack. “This was not only a
criminal act of arson, but a targeted and deeply concerning incident
affecting a vital emergency service serving the local Jewish
community,” it said in a post on X.
The number of antisemitic incidents reported across the U.K. has
soared since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in late 2023,
according to the Community Security Trust, which works to protect
the Jewish community. The group recorded 3,700 incidents in 2025, up
from 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.
Last week two men in London were charged with carrying out “hostile”
surveillance last year of the U.K.’s Jewish community on behalf of
Iran.
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