British police probe attack on Jewish ambulances

Counter-terrorism police are now leading the inquiry, even though it was not yet determined to be a terror attack. Read more at straitstimes.com.

LONDON - London’s police chief pledged on March 23 over 250 more officers and “highly visible” armed patrols to protect the Jewish community after an arson attack on four volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation next to a synagogue.

The promise of the 264 additional officers by Metropolitan Police head Mark Rowley came as the force said it was investigating an online claim of responsibility.

Counter-terrorism police have been tasked with the inquiry into what Prime Minister Keir Starmer called a “deeply shocking anti-Semitic arson attack”.

The London Fire Brigade said it was alerted to vehicles on fire at Highfield Court in Golders Green, a north London area with a substantial Jewish population, at 1.40am on March 23.

Around 40 firefighters called to the scene found that the cylinders stored on the vehicles, belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance service, had exploded.

The little-known Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) group, meaning The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand, claimed responsibility for the attack in a video posted on its recently created Telegram channel.