Counterterrorism police are leading an investigation after four Jewish community ambulances were set on fire outside a synagogue in London early Monday in what authorities are treating as an antisemitic hate crime. 

The attack took place around 1:45 a.m. in the Golders Green neighborhood, where Hatzola ambulances, a volunteer emergency service run by the Jewish community, were deliberately set ablaze in a synagogue parking lot, according to a statement by Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams of the Metropolitan Police.

“This arson attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime. This is a devastating incident for our Jewish communities,” Williams said. He added that while the incident has not yet been formally declared terrorism, “the investigation is now being led by Counterterrorism Policing… and all lines of enquiry remain open.”

A video circulating online purports to show Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, an Iran-linked group that has claimed responsibility for recent attacks on Jewish sites in Belgium and the Netherlands, taking credit for the London attack, according to the Jewish Chronicle.

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Authorities are examining a potential link to a newly emerged group with suspected ties to Iran. “We are aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for this attack,” Williams said. “Establishing the authenticity and accuracy of this claim will be a priority… but it is not something we can confirm at this point.”

Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital that the attack reflects years of policy failures in confronting Iranian activity on British soil. “Successive U.K. Governments have completely failed in their primary duty of keeping the home front safe. Iranian terrorist activity has been known about in the U.K. for years yet no significant moves have been made to ban the IRGC or restrict the ability of regime-linked entities to function within British society. We have created the conditions for terrorism to flourish,” he said. 

He argued that Britain’s broader approach to the conflict with Iran — attempting to maintain distance while avoiding direct confrontation — has further emboldened Tehran. “The current policy on the war in Iran is delusional. The Government is pretending Britain is not involved. The Iranian regime does not, however, believe in neutrality and has decided its position for us: ripe for targeting.”

Joe Truzman, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said in a post on X that “My initial assessment is that the attack could potentially be linked to Ashab al-Yamin, an Iran-linked group that has carried out multiple attacks against Jewish institutions across Europe since the war began… Hopefully this is something different, but the possibility that the group is involved should be examined.”

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Police said they are searching for three suspects seen on CCTV pouring an accelerant onto the vehicles before igniting them. No injuries were reported, though nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution. 

The attack comes amid a broader wave of violence targeting Jewish communities across Europe in recent weeks.

Scott Saunders, CEO of the International March of the Living, said the incident represents a dangerous escalation. “The arson attack in Golders Green… marks a dangerous escalation in the targeting of Jewish communities,” Saunders said. “Emergency vehicles operated by Jewish volunteer first responders were deliberately attacked… in direct proximity to a place of worship — a space that should represent safety.”

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“These ambulances do not only serve Jewish communities… Targeting them is an attack not only on Jewish life, but on the shared fabric of the community they serve,” he added. “Since the war with Iran began, antisemitic attacks have become more frequent, more brazen, and more direct. Jewish institutions are being singled out; synagogues, community spaces, and now even the emergency services that exist to protect Jewish lives, with a growing sense that these are legitimate targets. Following the deadly shooting in and around a synagogue in Manchester last October, where this escalation already resulted in loss of life, the attack in Golders Green makes clear that this trajectory is continuing.”

Dr. Charles Asher Small, founder of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, said the attack reflects a broader trend.

“The attack against a visible Jewish target is not an isolated act of vandalism; it is the violent fruition of a climate where Jew-hatred has been normalized and institutionalized,” Small said.

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“At the center of this malignancy sits the Iranian regime… which actively funds and directs the networks that view British Jewish institutions as legitimate targets,” he added.

British officials also condemned the attack.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “An attack on our Jewish community is an attack on us all. We will fight the poison that is antisemitism.”

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called the incident on X “a particularly sickening assault — not only on the Jewish community, but on the values we share as a society.”

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“The targeting of Hatzola… is a most painful illustration of the ongoing battle between those who sanctify life and those who seek to destroy it,” he added in a statement posted March 23, 2026.

Police said there have been no arrests and urged anyone with information to come forward.

Strikes on gas sites are now part of the US-Israel war with Iran. But its effect will echo far beyond the Gulf, hitting power, food, and prices worldwide. As gas supply shrinks and costs rise, who will feel it most, and how far could the shock spread?

In this episode: 

• Justin Dargin (@justindargin), Energy Expert, Middle East Council on Global Affairs

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Marcos Bartolomé, Tamara Khandaker, Sarí el-Khalili, Chloe K. Li, Tuleen Barakat, Catherine Nouhan and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Sarí el-Khalili. Alex Roldan is our sound designer. 

The Take production team is Marcos Bartolomé, Sonia Bhagat, Spencer Cline, Sarí el-Khalili, Tamara Khandaker, Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Catherine Nouhan, Alex Roldan, and Noor Wazwaz. Our host is Malika Bilal. 

Our editorial intern is Tuleen Barakat. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Andrew Greiner is lead of audience engagement. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. 

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

NEW YORK (AP) — An Air Canada regional jet struck a fire truck on the runway after landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night, crushing the nose of the plane, according to authorities and photos of the wreckage.

Two people were killed, according to a person familiar with the investigation into the crash. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an active investigation.

Two Port Authority employees who were traveling in the fire truck also were injured, the person said.

There were 72 passengers and four crew members aboard the aircraft, a Jazz Aviation flight operating on behalf of Air Canada, according to a statement from the airline. The flight originated at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, the major airport serving Montreal.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement that the jet had struck a rescue and firefighting vehicle that was responding to a separate incident at about 11:45 p.m. The airport was closed as of 3 a.m. to facilitate the investigation, officials said.

Photos and videos from the scene showed severe damage to the front of the aircraft, with cables and debris hanging from a mangled cockpit. Nearby, a damaged emergency vehicle lay on its side.

Stairways used to evacuate passengers from aircraft were pushed up to the emergency exits on the jet, a Bombardier CRJ. The impact left the jet with its crumpled nose tilted upward.

In the moments before the crash, an air traffic controller could be heard on a radio transmission giving clearance to a vehicle to cross part of the tarmac, then trying to stop it.

“Stop, Truck 1. Stop,” the transmission says. The controller can then be heard frantically diverting incoming aircraft from landing.

Jazz Aviation issued a statement confirming the accident and noting the passenger and crew list was preliminary and subject to confirmation.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the incident.