3 more men arrested in suspected antisemitic ambulance torching in London

LONDON (AP) — Three additional suspects were arrested Wednesday on arson charges in the torching of four ambulances owned by a Jewish charity in London, police said.

Two British men, ages 20 and 19, and a 17-year-old boy with dual British and Pakistani nationality, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life, London’s Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement.

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Counterterror police are investigating the fire as an antisemitic hate crime. They were looking into a claim of responsibility by a group with potential links to Iran, but have not declared it an act of terrorism.

Two other men, ages 45 and 47, were previously released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.

The March 23 blaze in Golders Green, a north London neighborhood with a large Jewish population, destroyed four ambulances belonging to the volunteer organization Hatzola Northwest, which provides emergency care in the area. Oxygen cylinders in the vehicles exploded, breaking windows in an adjacent apartment block.

“Since this appalling attack last week, we have been working continuously to investigate and identify those responsible,” Cmdr. Helen Flanagan, head of counterterror policing, said. “We know concern among the Jewish community remains high, but I hope these arrests show that we are doing everything we can to bring those responsible to justice.”