Four men have entered guilty pleas at the Old Bailey regarding an arson attack that destroyed four ambulances operated by the Jewish community charity Hatzola. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of 23 March in Golders Green, resulted in approximately £1m of damage. The defendants, Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, Judex Atshatshi, 18, and Saif Ali, 18, all pleaded guilty to a charge of destroying or damaging property while reckless as to whether life would be endangered.
Prosecutors described the event as a targeted attack on the Jewish community. The court was informed that three of the men set fire to the fully stocked vehicles, while the fourth individual waited in a nearby car. The destruction of the four ambulances, each valued at £250,000, was compounded by the explosion of gas canisters inside the vehicles. Additionally, four electrical charging stations and their associated cables, valued at roughly £5,000 each, were destroyed in the blaze.
Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb stated that she would not rule on the question of terrorism at this time, noting that the defence counsel argued there was no evidence to support such a connection. The four men have been remanded into custody. Their sentencing will occur following the trial of a fifth man, Subhan Ahmed, who has entered a not guilty plea to the charge of assisting an offender.
Hatzola, a Hebrew word meaning save or rescue, is a non-profit, Jewish-led organization that has served the Golders Green community since 1979. The charity provides free emergency medical response and hospital transportation to individuals regardless of their faith, relying entirely on volunteer medics.
