Four men have pleaded guilty to destroying four Jewish community ambulances in an arson attack causing £1 million of damage. On Friday, Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, Judex Atshatshi, and Saif Ali, both aged 18, pleaded guilty 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 cites possible terrorist connection
Prosecutor Leo Seelig suggested the incident had a “terrorist connection” although no mention was made in court of potential proxies working for Iran. Previously, counter-terror police had looked into the possible involvement of Iranian proxies in the Jewish ambulance arson, as well as other attacks on Jewish sites in London. Most have been claimed online by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right. However, in April, Iran’s embassy in the UK said it “categorically rejects” allegations of involvement in “violent activities or incidents in the United Kingdom”.
Details of the attack
Three of the defendants were said to have set fire to the fully stocked vehicles, while a fourth waited in a blue Toyota Avensis. The resulting blaze caused gas canisters inside the ambulances to explode and nearby flats and a synagogue were also damaged by the fire. On his arrest on April 1, Ali threw his mobile phone out of the window, the court has previously been told. The defendant, then aged 17, had been in contact with someone in February with a view to buying a blue Toyota Avenisis and had done research online about how much ambulances cost. The prosecution had alleged Ali went on to source the Toyota that was used in the attack, with WhatsApp messages between him and a co-defendant relating to the purchase.
Impact and legal proceedings
The ambulances belonged to Hatzola, a volunteer-led ambulance service operating in the Golders Green area of north London, and were said to cost between £240,000 and £250,000 each. Prosecutors have said they believe the incident was a targeted attack against the Jewish community. Four electrical charging stations and cables costing approximately £5,000 each were also damaged during the incident. According to the charge, 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 by video-link from Wandsworth and Pentonville jails with Ali in the dock of the Old Bailey. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb ordered 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 said their sentencing would take place in the spring of 2027 at the conclusion of a separate trial. At the same hearing, a fifth defendant, Subhan Ahmed, 18, from Walthamstow, pleaded not guilty to a charge of assisting an offender. Ahmed, who is alleged to have helped to get rid of the car used in the attack, will go on trial at the Old Bailey on January 27 next year.
