By Sam Tabahriti
LONDON, April 4 (Reuters) – British police arrested a fourth person in connection with an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances, with the detention happening at a London court where three males already charged in the case were appearing, prosecutors said on Saturday.
Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, are accused of torching four ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency service Hatzola on March 23 while they were parked near a synagogue in the Golders Green area of north London.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident at the time as a “deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack”.
FOUR PEOPLE CARRIED OUT THE ATTACK, CPS SAYS
The SITE Intelligence website has said an Iran-aligned multinational militant collective called Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand had claimed responsibility for the incident.
It said the group had been behind similar fires in Europe.
Counter-terrorism officers are heading the investigation in Britain, but as yet the incident is not being treated as terrorism.
A prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service said police believe four people were involved in carrying out the attack itself, with a fourth individual being arrested on Saturday morning as part of an ongoing investigation.
The Metropolitan Police said the fourth suspect was a 19-year-old man who had been arrested by officers at the court while attending the hearing, after officers recognised him as being linked to the attack. He was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and taken into custody.
Three men have been charged with arson with intent to damage property and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered. Two are British nationals, while the third holds dual British‑Pakistani citizenship.
All three were remanded in custody, with the 17‑year‑old ordered to be held in youth detention accommodation.
Hatzola is a not-for-profit volunteer emergency service that works alongside Britain’s National Health Service and primarily serves the Orthodox Jewish community.
The London Fire Brigade said explosions from cylinders on the vehicles shattered nearby windows, but no one was injured.
Attacks on Jewish people and Jewish targets have risen in Britain since the October 2023 Hamas assault on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, according to police and community groups.
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Joe Bavier and Toby Chopra)
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