
(SeaPRwire) – British prosecutors have filed charges against three suspects—17, 19, and 20 years old—linked to a distressing arson attack targeting ambulances belonging to the Jewish community in north London.
The March 23 incident occurred at approximately 1:45 a.m. in the Golders Green neighborhood, where four ambulances operated by Hatzola, a volunteer emergency service serving the Jewish community, were intentionally set on fire in a synagogue parking lot.
Hamza Iqbal (20), Rehan Khan (19), and a 17-year-old male are accused of arson with intent to damage property while recklessly endangering life, according to the Metropolitan Police. Authorities noted that two of the suspects are British citizens, while one holds dual British and Pakistani citizenship.
All three were arrested on Wednesday at separate locations across London.
They did not enter pleas and were remanded in custody following a roughly 45-minute hearing on Saturday afternoon at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, according to The Standard.
Prosecutors stated that a fourth suspect was also arrested and taken into custody at the courthouse where the three charged men were appearing, per Reuters.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had earlier condemned the attack as a “horrifying” antisemitic act.
“An attack on our Jewish community is an attack on us all. We will fight the poison that is antisemitism,” Starmer wrote on X on March 23.
A report from the SITE Intelligence Group indicates that an Iran-backed network calling itself the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand has claimed responsibility, according to Reuters.
Despite this claim, officials have not formally classified the case as terrorism. However, counterterrorism police are leading the investigation, the Metropolitan Police said.
U.K. police previously arrested two additional men, ages 45 and 47, in the days following the attack. They were later released on bail, according to the Metropolitan Police.
“I want to reiterate that the support we have received from the local community since this attack occurred has been incredible, and we will continue to work closely with local policing colleagues to do everything we can to keep the public safe,” Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said in a statement.
The Metropolitan Police did not immediately respond to Digital’s request for comment.
Digital’s Efrat Lachter, Greg Norman, and Reuters contributed to this report.
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