UK arrests 2 over 'antisemitic arson attack' as police investigate possible Iran link

Three individuals, aged 17, 19, and 20, have been formally charged by British prosecutors for an alarming arson attack that specifically targeted ambulances serving the Jewish community in north London.

The incident, which took place in the early hours of March 23, occurred in the Golders Green area. Four ambulances, managed by Hatzola, a volunteer emergency service dedicated to the Jewish community, were intentionally set on fire while parked in a synagogue parking lot.

The suspects, identified as Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, and a 17-year-old, face charges of arson with intent to cause property damage and reckless endangerment to life, as per the Metropolitan Police. Among them, two are British nationals, while one holds both British and Pakistani citizenship.

Members of the Jewish community viewing the scene of an arson attack in Golders Green north London

On March 24, 2026, members of the Jewish community gathered to witness the aftermath of this antisemitic arson attack in Golders Green, a neighborhood in north London.
(Photo by Henry Nicholls/AFP)

The trio was apprehended on Wednesday at different locations around London.

During a brief 45-minute hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday afternoon, they did not submit pleas and have been remanded in custody, according to a report from The Standard.

Prosecutors said a fourth suspect was also arrested and taken into custody at the courthouse where the three charged men were appearing, according to Reuters.

Firefighters extinguishing fire at Highfield Road in Golders Green London

Firefighters are seen tackling a blaze at Highfield Road in the Golders Green neighborhood of London, following an apparent arson attack on four ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance Service. (PA/PA Images via Getty Images)

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously 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 says an Iran-backed network calling itself the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand has claimed responsibility, according to Reuters.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel visiting scene of four ambulances set on fire in northwest London

Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel visits the scene after four ambulances belonging to Hatzola, a Jewish community organisation, were set on fire in an incident that the police say is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime, in northwest London, Britain, March 23, 2026. (Isabel Infantes/Reuters)

Despite the claim, officials have not formally classified the case as terrorism. However, counterterrorism police are leading the investigation, Metropolitan Police said.

Police in the United Kingdom 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 had from the local community since this attack took place 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 Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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