Four men have admitted their involvement in an arson attack that destroyed four Jewish community ambulances, causing £1 million worth of damage. Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, Judex Atshatshi, and Saif Ali, both aged 18, entered guilty pleas on Friday to a charge of destroying or damaging property being reckless whether life would be endangered. The charge relates to the attack on ambulances in Golders Green, north London, in the early hours of March 23.
Prosecution highlights terrorist connection
Prosecutor Leo Seelig suggested the incident had a "terrorist connection", though no reference was made in court to potential proxies acting on behalf of Iran. Counter-terror officers had previously investigated the possible involvement of Iranian proxies in the Jewish ambulance arson, alongside a number of other attacks on Jewish sites across London. The majority of these incidents have been claimed online by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right.
Iran's embassy in the UK, however, stated in April that it "categorically rejects" allegations of involvement in "violent activities or incidents in the United Kingdom". Three of the defendants were said to have set the fully stocked vehicles alight, while a fourth remained in a blue Toyota Avensis nearby. The resulting blaze caused gas canisters inside the ambulances to explode, with neighbouring flats and a synagogue also sustaining damage from the fire.
Details of the attack and arrests
The court was previously told that upon his arrest on April 1, Ali threw his mobile phone from a window. The defendant, then aged 17, had been in contact with someone in February with a view to buying a blue Toyota Avensis and had conducted online research into the cost of ambulances. Prosecutors alleged that Ali went on to source the Toyota used in the attack, with WhatsApp messages exchanged between him and a co-defendant relating to its purchase.
The ambulances belonged to Hatzola, a volunteer-run ambulance service operating in the Golders Green area of north London, and were reported to be worth between £240,000 and £250,000 apiece. Prosecutors have stated their belief that the incident constituted a deliberate, targeted attack against the Jewish community. Four electrical charging stations and cables, each valued at approximately £5,000, were also damaged during the incident.
Court proceedings and sentencing
According to the charges brought, the defendants destroyed four ambulances valued at more than £5,000 belonging to the Hatzola charity. It was further alleged that the defendants had intended to destroy or damage the property, or were "reckless" as to whether it would be destroyed and life endangered. Atshatshi, Khan and Iqbal entered their pleas via video-link from Wandsworth and Pentonville prisons, while Ali appeared in the dock at the Old Bailey.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb requested pre-sentence reports for Iqbal and Khan, from Leyton, east London, Atshatshi, from Dagenham, east London, and Ali, of dual British-Pakistani nationality, from Walthamstow. Remanding them in custody, the senior judge confirmed sentencing would be scheduled for spring 2027, following the conclusion of a separate trial. During the same hearing, a fifth defendant, Subhan Ahmed, 18, from Walthamstow, entered a not guilty plea to a charge of assisting an offender. Ahmed, who is accused of helping to dispose of the vehicle used in the attack, is due to stand trial at the Old Bailey on January 27 next year.
