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Ambulance arson pleas
Four men pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to destroying four Jewish community ambulances in an arson attack in Golders Green, north-west London, in the early hours of 23 March.
“pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to a charge of destroying or damaging property being reckless whether life would be endangered”
Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, Judex Atshatshi, 18, and Saif Ali, 18, admitted a charge of destroying or damaging property being reckless whether life would be endangered, with sentencing expected in spring 2027.
The ambulances were operated by the charity Hatzola and were set alight while parked near a synagogue, and prosecutors said the blaze caused gas canisters inside the fully stocked vehicles to explode.
BBC reported that three of the men set fire to the fully stocked ambulances while a fourth waited in a nearby car, and Sky News said the four men were arrested after an investigation by counter terrorism police.
The attack was described by prosecutors as having a “terrorist connection,” and the court heard defence counsel argued there was no evidence for such a connection at this stage.
Prosecution, defence, and claims
Prosecutor Leo Seelig told the court the Crown Prosecution Service would argue the four men should be sentenced on the basis that the arson attack was related to terrorism, while BBC said Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb would not rule on the question of terrorism at that stage.
Sky News said Seelig would submit to the sentencing judge that the attack had a "terrorist connection", but the court heard this is denied by all four men.
ABC News reported that prosecutors suggested the incident had a “terrorist connection” although no mention was made in court of potential proxies working for Iran, and it said counterterrorism police had looked into possible involvement of Iranian proxies in the Jewish ambulance arson.
The Iranian Embassy in the U.K. “categorically rejects” allegations of involvement in “violent activities or incidents in the United Kingdom,” ABC News said.
At the same hearing, a fifth defendant, Subhan Ahmed, 18, pleaded not guilty to assisting an offender, with his trial scheduled to begin at the Old Bailey on Jan. 27.
Aftermath and next steps
The arson attack caused about £1m of damage, and BBC said it destroyed each of the £250,000 vehicles while also damaging four electrical charging stations and cables costing approximately £5,000 each.
“The fire damaged four electrical charging stations and cables costing approximately £5,000 each”
The court heard Hatzola, which has served the north London community of Golders Green since 1979, provides a free emergency medical response and transportation to hospitals regardless of faith by volunteer medics, and the Community Security Trust welcomed the pleas.
A Community Security Trust spokesperson said the four's actions “caused immense shock and distress across the Jewish community,” and described it as “an appalling antisemitic act against a volunteer ambulance service providing emergency medical assistance to people of all backgrounds across north London”.
The judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, ordered pre-sentence reports for Iqbal and Khan, with sentencing taking place in spring 2027 at the conclusion of a separate trial involving Subhan Ahmed.
In parallel, Sky News said prosecutors previously said the motive behind the attack was not known, while an Iran-aligned group, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), has claimed responsibility online.