Four individuals have admitted to setting fire to ambulances owned by a Jewish charity in North London, an act that resulted in over £1 million in damages and was claimed by an Iran-backed militant group. The attack occurred on March 23 at approximately 1:35 a.m., when four ambulances from Hatzola, a volunteer-led service in the Golders Green area, were targeted.
Saif Ali, 18, who was 17 at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to arson reckless as to whether life would be endangered. He allegedly rented the car used in the attack and directed others, later boasting about the act. Also pleading guilty were Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, and Judex Atshatshi, 18. Subhan Ahmed, 18, denies assisting an offender, having allegedly provided and arranged for the disposal of the getaway car.
The prosecution indicated that a terrorist connection to the attack would be presented at a future sentencing hearing. The damaged ambulances were fully stocked and each cost up to £250,000, with the charging stations also sustaining damage. The explosion of oxygen tanks within three of the ambulances caused further damage to a block of flats and the side of a synagogue.
Counter-Terrorism Policing investigated the incident. Evidence gathered included CCTV footage, mobile phone data, automatic numberplate recognition (ANPR) data, and Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) data. Ali's phone revealed searches for "how much do ambulance cost," "how long does it take for police to investigate arson," and "What shop sells fireproof gloves." He also used Snapchat's AI feature to identify the synagogue where the arson was committed.
Messages recovered from Ali's phone indicated communication with Atshatshi and discussed payment for the attack, which was claimed by a group identified as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, or the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand. Khan's phone contained a message from Ahmed suggesting that a gang known as the Northumberland Park Killers was behind the attack, an attempt to shift blame.
Atshatshi has prior offenses for possessing knives, while the other defendants with guilty pleas have no previous convictions. Ahmed's trial is scheduled for next year.