Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley has issued an update on the Golders Green ambulance attack after a group linked to Iran allegedly shared footage on social media
The Met Police are investigating whether an Islamist group with links to Iran is behind an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances, its chief has said.
It comes after Scotland Yard confirmed the incident in Golders Green, north-west London – which saw four ambulances torched early on Monday morning – is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime but not as terrorism.
A video has allegedly been posted on Telegram by a Tehran-affiliated Islamist group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, showing a map of the location where the ambulances were kept and footage of them on fire.
Speaking tonight at the annual dinner of the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that monitors antisemitism in the UK, Sir Mark Rowley said the “rapid growth in recent years of Iranian state threats is grave”, but it was “too early” to attribute the attack to the Iranian state.
READ MORE: ‘Golders Green ambulance explosion threw me backwards – I felt them in my guts’READ MORE: Burned out remains of Jewish ambulance in horror footage after vile arson attack
Sir Mark said: “Britain’s Jewish community has in recent years been increasingly targeted by individuals, groups and hostile states, intent on spreading fear, hate and harm. This volatile mix is at the front of my mind given events of today.” He added: “The rapid growth in recent years of Iranian state threats is grave: hostile state surveillance activity, twenty disrupted plots, and recent attempted attacks on the Iranian diaspora. “None of this is isolated. It is part of a rapidly shifting threat landscape. It is too early for me to attribute last night’s attack in Golders Green to the Iranian state – that is rightly for the counter-terrorism investigation to determine – but whoever was responsible, the impact is serious.
“We believe three suspects were involved and we are pursuing all lines of inquiry, including an online claim of responsibility by an Islamist group who have claimed other attacks across Europe and have potential Iranian state links.” CCTV shows three people in hoods pouring accelerant on the vehicles, which belong to Jewish community ambulance service Hatzola, before setting them on fire and running away. Speaking near the scene on Monday, Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who leads policing for the area, said investigators are aware of a group apparently claiming responsibility for the attack online, but have not yet verified whether this is true. Sir Mark said his force’s aim was “to protect, to be visible, to offer reassurance and to keep people safe” and said additional measures are being put in place to protect Jewish communities.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for communities to “all stand together” in the face of the “horrific antisemitic attack”, while Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the targeting of the volunteer service was “particularly sickening”. Gas canisters kept in the ambulances exploded after they were set alight at the site in Highfield Road at about 1.45am on Monday, but no injuries have been reported. Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution and road closures in the area remain in place. Residents described being woken in the early hours by the noise, with the force of the explosions blowing out windows, including those of the nearby synagogue. One man who lives nearby told the Mirror: “I felt it right in my guts and body. It was so shocking and I was afraid of course. I was not sure if there were going to be more explosions or whether buildings around the area were being attacked.
“Much worse was that there were old people being taken out — some in wheelchairs — out of the next door block of flats by rescuers, and they must have also felt the blast as they were taken across the road to safety in a community centre.“
Counter Terrorism Police, who are leading the investigation, are appealing for anyone with footage of the arson attack to get in touch.
The latest official figures on hate crime recorded by police in England and Wales showed Jewish people had the highest rate of religious hate crimes targeted at them of any faith group. Two worshippers were killed in a deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester in October 2025, and in a separate investigation earlier this month two men were charged with allegedly spying on Jewish people and locations for Iran. The Government has pledged to fund replacements for the ambulances as well as immediate health support.
