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CTP investigating ambulance arson

Detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing are investigation and arson attack on four ambulances in Barnet.

The four ambulances belong to a Jewish community ambulance service, Hatzola, and were set on fire in Golders Green at around 1:45 on Monday morning.

Hatzola is a a volunteer-led ambulance service run by members of the Jewish community.

The attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.

There were explosions, as oxygen canisters on board exploded and nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.

The fires have been extinguished and there were no reported injuries.

Superintendent Sarah Jackson from the Met Police, who leads policing in the local area said: 鈥淲e know this incident will cause a great deal of community concern and officers remain on scene to carry out urgent enquiries. 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.

鈥淭here have been no arrests yet, and we would urge anyone with information to please contact us as soon as possible - you can do so anonymously if you wish.

鈥淲e will be engaging with faith leaders and carrying out additional patrols in the local area as we continue our investigation to provide reassurance and a highly visible presence.鈥�

CCTV footage appears to show three people pouring accelerant onto the vehicles before setting them on fire.

While CTP are investigating, the attack has not been declared a terrorist incident.

A group has posted online claiming responsibility for the attack and offers are trying to establish the authenticity and accuracy of this claim.

An online portal has been set up for members of the public to share any video footage they may have from before, during or after the attack.

Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e aware this attack has caused a great amount of concern amongst the Jewish and wider community in the area, but I want to reassure the public that we have officers working around the clock to identify those responsible.

鈥淲e鈥檝e already gathered a large amount of CCTV footage from the local area and taken a number of statements from witnesses. But we know local people may also have footage or information that could be relevant, so we would urge anyone who may have information that could help with our investigation to get in touch.

鈥淲e will continue to work closely with our frontline policing colleagues in the area and we thank the local community for their ongoing support as we continue with this investigation.鈥�