The scene in Golders Green, London, after an apparent arson attack on four ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance service in London. Photo / Getty Images
British counter-terror police are leading the investigation into an anti-Semitic firebomb attack feared to have been orchestrated by Iran.
Scotland Yard confirmed that officers with “specialist expertise” were investigating the arson, in which four ambulances were set on fire outside a synagogue in Golders Green, London, on Monday morning.
Israeli embassy sources told The Telegraph that the firebombing had the hallmarks of an Iran-backed attack.
A video claiming responsibility for the firebombing has emerged on social media and is believed to be by a group linked to Tehran.
The arson, which is being treated as a hate crime, will raise concerns that Iran is mounting a concerted campaign of attacks across Europe following similar incidents in recent weeks.
Two Iranian immigrants were charged last week with spying on Jews in London for Tehran.
Seyed Ali Mousavi, Iran’s ambassador to the UK, has been summoned by the Foreign Office over his country’s “reckless and destabilising actions” in Britain over the allegations.
A separate Iranian man will appear in court on Monday after he and an accomplice allegedly tried to enter Britain’s most important nuclear base.
Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, of the Metropolitan Police, said the force was looking into three suspects seen approaching the ambulances on Highfield Rd at around 1.45am on Monday.
He said: “CCTV footage appears to show three people in hoods pouring an accelerant on to the vehicles before igniting them and fleeing.
“While this has not been declared a terrorist incident at this stage, the investigation is now being led by counter-terrorism policing with all the specialist expertise they bring, and all lines of inquiry remain open.
“We are aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for this attack. Establishing the authenticity and accuracy of this claim will be a priority for the investigation team, but it is not something we can confirm at this point.”
A Shi’ite group linked to Iranian terror networks has allegedly claimed responsibility for the attack online. The video, apparently shared by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiaf on Telegram, showed footage of the arson with a statement in English, Hebrew and Arabic.
It described the Machzike Hadath synagogue, near where the attack took place, as “one of the most important centres of Orthodox Judaism” and “one of the main bastions of support for Israel in Britain”.
“So much so that in June 2024, Rishi Sunak, the former British prime minister, visited this site amidst the Gaza war to affirm ... his country’s unwavering support for Israel”, it added.
The group, whose Telegram account was only created on Saturday, had claimed responsibility for the attacks across Europe in the past 10 days, including explosions outside Jewish sites in Belgium and the Netherlands.
An internal report by the Israeli Government, seen by The Telegraph, said the group probably hired local criminals online to carry out the attacks.
Mark Gardner, the chief executive of the Community Security Trust, which monitors anti-Semitism in the UK, said there was an “obvious parallel” to other attacks on Jewish communities, which have surged after the Gaza war.
“This comes after basically two and a half years of war in the Middle East – going back to October 7, 2023 – various cycles of war, a very, very large increase in anti-Semitism here in the UK and against Jewish communities around the world, specifically the Iranian component,” he told the BBC.
Gardner added that “Iranians have long used terrorism against Jewish communities around the world for decades”.
The London Fire Brigade sent six fire engines and 40 firefighters to Highfield Rd after it received calls from residents in the early hours of Monday.
Multiple cylinders exploded inside the four ambulances set on fire, smashing windows in an adjacent block of flats.
The fire was brought under control by 3.06am and no one was injured. Nearby houses were evacuated as a precaution and road closures remained in place.
The ambulances were owned by Hatzola Northwest, a Jewish charity that provides free emergency medical care and hospital transfers. It has operated in Golders Green, home to one of Britain’s largest Jewish communities, since 1979.
The area has more than 30 synagogues and nearly half of its residents identify as Jewish, according to the 2021 census.
Synagogue officials claimed they had noticed people acting suspiciously around the site in the past few weeks.
Jack Taub, 34, part of the synagogue’s leadership, told The Telegraph: “We have noticed people staking out the synagogue.
“We upped a lot of security, but it was a calculated attack.”
He said he was not aware of how far the reports went or whether the police were notified, but added that CCTV of the individuals had been passed on.
Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi, said the Jewish community would not be cowed or intimidated by the attack.
“We’re not going to be intimidated by terrorists, and this was a terrorist attack,” he said at the scene. “Nothing’s going to stop us from standing tall as Jews and behaving in a way, according to our tradition, as proud British citizens.”
Attacks on the Jewish community had already risen worldwide since Hamas’ assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the war in Gaza that followed.
Last year, two Jewish worshippers were killed during Yom Kippur in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester.
The ongoing conflict in Iran has also fuelled fears that sleeper cells or proxies of the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could be planning terror attacks within Britain.
Security services have thwarted 20 Iranian-sponsored terror attacks in the UK in recent years, according to MI5.
Last May, three Iranian former asylum seekers were charged with spying for Tehran. The men had been granted leave to remain after arriving in the UK in lorries and small boats.
Last week, two Iranian immigrants were charged with spying following a counter-terror investigation into “alleged surveillance of locations and individuals linked to the Jewish community in the London area”.
Two days later, Police Scotland said a 34-year-old Iranian man and a 31-year-old Romanian woman had been charged after reports of two people trying to enter Faslane naval base, where Britain’s nuclear submarines are housed.
Chris Philp, the shadow Home Secretary, said that anyone convicted of anti-Semitic crimes should be deported if they were not citizens.
“Whoever is guilty of this sickening crime must go to jail for a long time – and if they are not British citizens, they must then be deported,” he said.
Suella Braverman, the Reform UK education spokeswoman, blamed the attacks on “years of weak leadership” by Labour and the Conservatives, who she accused of failing to tackle Islamism and anti-Israel marches.
She told The Telegraph: “All we get are warm words, ‘I’m shocked and I’m upset’, by prime ministers, whether it’s Starmer or Sunak, but nothing changes.
“Jews are leaving the country because they don’t feel safe here. They feel safer in Israel, a war zone, than they do in London at the moment.”
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, warned that Britain had an “open door to potential enemies” with the current migration crisis.
“The horrible attack on volunteer ambulances is part of a rising tide of hate against Jewish communities in Britain,” he said.
“As I write, more undocumented young men are crossing the Channel. Many will be from Iran – we have an open door to potential enemies.”
Mike Freer, the former MP for Finchley and Golders Green, who stood down after receiving death threats for his pro-Israel views, told Times Radio it was important to reiterate “why British values are important”.
“We need to start talking about very serious prison sentences, not just community service or a slap on the wrist of a couple of years, serious jail time – or if someone is here and they’re not British citizens or they’ve been granted citizenship, that should be revoked and people should be deported,” he added.
Sir Keir Starmer, who said earlier this month that the war in Iran was being used to divide Muslims and Jewish people, condemned the “deeply shocking” arson.
The Prime Minister, who also met with Jewish community leaders at Downing Street on Monday, said:
This is a deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) March 23, 2026
My thoughts are with the Jewish community who are waking up this morning to this horrific news.
Antisemitism has no place in our society.
Anyone with any information must come forward to the police. https://t.co/P5J1ETaEsE
Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, told MPs that “justice is required” after the attack.
She said: “There have as yet been no arrests, but the perpetrators must be in no doubt. We will pursue them and make them face the consequences of this wicked crime.”
Speaking at the scene, Wes Streeting said the Government would fund replacement ambulances for Hatzola Northwest, adding: “Those responsible for this attack must know that the Jewish community will not face up to this hatred alone, the whole country will stand with them.”
As he spoke, the Health Secretary was heckled by a member of the public, who said: “You’re not wanted here. Your party caused this.”
A fundraiser set up by Hatzola Northwest to fund new ambulances and strengthen security has already raised around £350,000 ($801,077).
A spokesman for the Israeli embassy said: “Anti-Semitism is rampant on the streets of London ... Firebombing ambulances is not an anomaly, it is the consequence after years of hate-filled marches, incitement and intimidation being tolerated in plain sight.
“Enough is enough. There must be a thorough investigation and decisive action to put an end to this climate of intimidation before it spirals further. Silence and inaction are no longer an option.”
Superintendent Sarah Jackson, of the Met, said that police would engage with faith leaders and carry out additional patrols in the area as investigations continued.
She said: “We know this incident will cause a great deal of community concern and officers remain on scene to carry out urgent enquiries.
“We are in the process of examining CCTV and are aware of online footage. We believe we are looking for three suspects at this early stage.
“There have been no arrests yet, and we would urge anyone with information to please contact us as soon as possible.”
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