TWO men have been arrested after four Jewish ambulances were torched in an antisemitic attack by masked arsonists.
The vehicles – belonging to volunteer emergency service Hatzola – were set ablaze in the early hours of Monday morning.
Footage shows the ambulances engulfed in flames in the early hours of this morningCredit: UKNIP
The three alleged arsonists were captured on film at the scene in masks
Terrified residents were awakened by a series of loud explosions as flames ripped through the ambulances parked outside a synagogue.
Six fire engines and 40 firefighters rushed to the scene at around 1.45am on Monday.
CCTV footage shows three masked suspects appearing to start the blaze before fleeing.
The blasts are said to have been caused by gas canisters inside the ambulances igniting as the fire took hold.
Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution as emergency services battled to bring the inferno under control – nobody was injured.
Counter-terror cops are investigating an online claim that Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia are taking responsibility for the attack.
A Telegram post has since circulated online, with the group thought to be an “Iran-crafted front”.
The group’s Telegram channel, which was apparently only created on Saturday, also includes a video of an attack in Amsterdam targeting an American bank.
Israel’s ministry of foreign affairs posted on X on March 15 that “a jihadi group tied to an Iranian proxy” was responsible for the attacks.
Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams confirmed the force is looking into the claims.
It comes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he has been in contact with Jewish community leaders and “it’s really important that we all stand together”.
He said: “This is a horrific antisemitic attack. And of course my thoughts, I think all of our thoughts, will be with those in the vicinity, the residents who are understandably very concerned, the Jewish community across the country deeply concerned.
“I’ve already been in touch with community leaders this morning and will continue to do so during the day.
“But antisemitism has no place in our society and it’s really important that we all stand together at a moment like this.”
Who are Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia?
HARAKAT Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia is an extremist group that has recently started to cause chaos across Europe.
The name translates as “The Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right” – and it only emerged publicly this month, raising the alarm among security services.
Experts believe the group could be linked to Iranian-backed terror networks, although that has not been officially confirmed.
The group has already claimed responsibility for a string of explosions and arson attacks targeting Jewish sites across Europe, including in Belgium and the Netherlands.
In recent days, the outfit has claimed responsibility for a wave of attacks across Europe designed to spread fear.
These include explosions and arson strikes on Jewish buildings in Belgium and the Netherlands between March 9 and March 14.
A synagogue in Liège was rocked by a blast described as an “extremely violent act of antisemitism”, while in Amsterdam an explosion damaged the country’s only Orthodox Jewish school.
Another blast outside a synagogue in Rotterdam sparked a fire and caused damage to the building, with several suspects arrested by police.
Its online messages show it is openly hostile towards Jewish communities and supportive of attacks on targets linked to Israel.
Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia spreads its propaganda through encrypted apps such as Telegram, where it posts claims and threats in multiple languages.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called the attack “so warped it defies words”.
She made a speech at the Community Security Trust, the charity that monitors antisemitism in the UK, calling the scenes “appalling”.
Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation but it is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime by the Metropolitan Police rather than as terrorism at this stage.
Ms Mahmood added: “This was more than an attack on four ambulances. It was more than an attack on one organisation or on one community.
“It was an attack on this country and on us all.”
She pledged that those behind the attack will be made to face the consequences of their “vile actions”.
“Today, Jews in this country are being forced to live a smaller life: they are hiding the signs of their faith,” she added.
“They are fearful as they send their children to school, even when they attend a hospital appointment.
“And, of course, they attend synagogues that require physical security, as we here know all too well.
“History has repeatedly screamed its warning at us. And yet, here we are again, in 2026, with the oldest hatred rising once more.”
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis called the arson attacks a “particularly sickening assault – not only on the Jewish community, but on the values we share as a society”.
He took to X to say: “The targeting of Hatzola by people so committed to terror, hatred and the desecration of life is a most painful illustration of the ongoing battle between those who sanctify life and those who seek to destroy it.
“At a time when Jewish communities around the world are facing a growing pattern of these violent attacks, we will meet this moment with shared resolve and stand together against hatred and intimidation.”
Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “This is a hideous antisemitic attack on a charity which provides vital ambulance services.
“I visited Hatzola myself just a few months ago and saw the incredible work they do.
“The Jewish community has been targeted again and again – including in the Islamist attack on Heaton Park Synagogue last autumn.
“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.
“We must make sure that the UK is safe for our Jewish community and we must relentlessly work to eliminate the ancient scourge of antisemitism.”
The explosions are believed to have been caused by canistersCredit: Reuters
Homes were evacuatedCredit: UKNIP 
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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