Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish volunteer emergency service have been destroyed in a suspected anti-Semitic arson attack outside a synagogue in north London.
The vehicles, part of the Hatzola Northwest fleet, were set on fire at around 1.40am on Monday on Highfield Road in Golders Green.
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The Metropolitan Police said the incident is being treated as an anti-Semitic hate crime and confirmed that three suspects remain at large.
Footage circulating online shows three hooded individuals approaching the parked ambulances moments before flames erupt. Other videos show the vehicles engulfed in fire, with loud explosions heard from gas canisters inside.
The synagogue adjacent to the ambulances was also damaged, with stained glass windows shattered in the blast.
Dozens of residents were evacuated from nearby homes, with around 30 people taken to a local shelter. No injuries have been reported.
Damon Hoff, president of the synagogue, described the incident as “terrifying”, saying there were “three huge explosions” and hundreds of people gathered in the street as emergency services responded.
Local resident Abigael Levi said she initially believed the noise was fireworks before seeing flames. She described fleeing with her young children after hearing a large explosion.
The London Fire Brigade said six fire engines and around 40 firefighters attended the scene, bringing the blaze under control by 3.06am.
The Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, described the incident as a “particularly sickening assault”, while the Prime Minister said it was “deeply shocking” and reiterated that antisemitism has no place in society.
Finchley and Golders Green MP Sarah Sackman described the attack as “cowardly and despicable”, while local councillor Dean Cohen called it a “particularly chilling” incident that had left residents shaken and frightened.
Superintendent Sarah Jackson, who leads policing in the area, said officers remain at the scene and are carrying out urgent enquiries, including reviewing CCTV footage.
She confirmed that no arrests have yet been made and appealed for witnesses to come forward.
Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust, said the attack had similarities to recent incidents targeting Jewish communities in Europe, including in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Hatzola, a volunteer non-profit organisation providing free emergency care and transport, has served the Golders Green community since 1979.