Antisemitic Arson Attack Destroys Four Jewish Community Ambulances in North London (Video)

In the early hours of Monday, March 23, 2026, the quiet streets of Golders Green were shattered by a series of powerful explosions. Four ambulances belonging to Hatzola Northwest—a volunteer emergency medical service serving the Jewish community—were deliberately set ablaze in what Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned as a “deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack.”

The Incident

The Metropolitan Police were alerted by the London Fire Brigade at approximately 1:45 AM to reports of a fire on Highfield Road. Upon arrival, emergency responders found four Hatzola ambulances parked in a private lot adjacent to the Machzike Hadath Synagogue fully engulfed in flames.

The intensity of the blaze triggered the explosion of several oxygen cylinders stored onboard the vehicles. The force of these blasts was significant enough to shatter windows in a nearby block of flats and send shockwaves through the neighborhood. As a precaution, local residents were evacuated from their homes while forty firefighters worked to bring the inferno under control. No injuries were reported, but the vehicles were reduced to charred shells.

The Investigation

The Metropolitan Police have officially classified the incident as an antisemitic hate crime. Although not currently designated as a terrorist incident, counter-terrorism officers are leading the investigation due to the targeted nature of the attack and the potential links to broader patterns of violence.

CCTV footage obtained from the scene appears to show three individuals dressed in black and wearing hoods approaching the parked vehicles with canisters shortly before the first flames erupted. Superintendent Sarah Jackson, who leads policing in the area, stated that the force is hunting for these three suspects.

“We know this incident will cause a great deal of community concern,” Superintendent Jackson said. “Officers remain on scene to carry out urgent enquiries, and we have stepped up local patrols to provide a highly visible presence and reassure residents.”

National Condemnation

The attack has drawn swift and fierce condemnation from across the British political and religious spectrum.

• Prime Minister Keir Starmer: “This is a horrific news to wake up to. Antisemitism has no place in our society. My thoughts are with the Jewish community, and I urge anyone with information to come forward.”
• Mayor Sadiq Khan: Described the arson as a “cowardly attack” on a vital emergency service that provides life-saving care to Londoners.
• Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis: Called the incident a “sickening assault” not just on the Jewish community, but on the shared values of British society.

Mark Gardner, Chief Executive of the Community Security Trust (CST), noted that this attack follows a disturbing trend of similar arson incidents targeting Jewish interests in Belgium, Greece, and the Netherlands. The CST reported that antisemitic incidents in the UK reached a record high of 3,700 in 2025, a steep climb from previous years.

Community Impact

Hatzola Northwest is a non-profit organization that relies on volunteers to provide rapid medical response. Despite the loss of four vehicles, the organization has stated it remains operational, though the financial and psychological toll on the community is immense.

Local councillor Peter Zinkin expressed the prevailing “distress and anger” in Golders Green, noting that burning ambulances—tools meant for saving lives—represents a new and chilling escalation in targeted hatred.

The police have urged anyone with information, CCTV, or dashcam footage from the Highfield Road area to call 101, quoting CAD415 of 23 March.

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Sources and Links

• Metropolitan Police Service: Investigation launched after arson attack on ambulances in Golders Green
• The Guardian: Ambulance arson attack in London being treated as antisemitic hate crime
• The Washington Post: Ambulances set ablaze at London synagogue in attack Starmer calls antisemitic
• Associated Press: Jewish charity’s ambulances set on fire. UK counter-terror police probe it as antisemitic attack
• CBS News: 4 ambulances from Jewish group set on fire in London in suspected antisemitic hate crime
• The Jerusalem Post: Hatzola ambulances torched in London in suspected antisemitic attack
• ANI News: ‘Antisemitic attack’: UK PM condemns London arson attack

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