The Metropolitan Police said no injuries were reported in the early-morning attack in Golders Green, but the blaze destroyed the vehicles, triggered explosions from onboard oxygen cylinders and damaged nearby homes, prompting evacuations.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said detectives were pursuing multiple lines of inquiry, including an online claim of responsibility by a group identifying itself as Harakat Ashab Al-Yamin Al-Islamia, which has previously claimed attacks in Europe.

“We are pursuing all lines of inquiry, including an online claim of responsibility by an Islamist group who have claimed other attacks across Europe and have potential Iranian state links,” Rowley said, adding that it was too early to attribute the incident directly to any state actor.

Police said three suspects seen in security footage carrying a canister near the ambulances are being sought, though no arrests have been made.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as “horrific” and met Jewish community representatives at Downing Street to discuss the response.“Antisemitism has no place in our society and it’s really important that we all stand together at a moment like this,” Starmer said.

Religious leaders also condemned the attack, with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis calling it a “sickening assault,” while Anglican leader Sarah Mullally said such violence had no place in society.

The ambulances belonged to Hatzola Northwest, a volunteer emergency response organization serving the local Jewish community. The London Fire Brigade said explosions from oxygen cylinders shattered windows in nearby buildings.

The attack has heightened concerns within Britain’s Jewish population, estimated at around 300,000, amid a broader rise in antisemitic incidents. The Community Security Trust has reported a sharp increase in such cases in recent years following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent conflict in Gaza.

Police said additional security would be deployed around Jewish schools, synagogues and community centers ahead of the Passover holiday next month.

The London Fire Brigade said it deployed six fire engines and about 40 firefighters to the scene near a synagogue in Golders Green, where multiple cylinders inside the vehicles exploded, shattering windows in an adjacent apartment block.

The fire was brought under control by 0306 GMT.The ambulances were operated by Hatzola, a not-for-profit volunteer emergency response group serving the Jewish community.

Starmer called the incident “deeply shocking” and said antisemitism had no place in British society. Writing on X, he said his thoughts were with the Jewish community affected by the attack.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also condemned the incident and said police patrols in the area would be increased.

The Metropolitan Police said officers remained at the scene and that the case was being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.

The SITE Intelligence Group reported that an Iran-aligned militant collective calling itself the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand had claimed responsibility for the attack.

The group has allegedly been linked to similar arson incidents targeting Jewish sites in Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands, according to the same source.Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust, said the incident bore “an obvious parallel” to recent anti-Jewish arson attacks in cities including Liege, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

Attacks on Jewish individuals and institutions have risen globally since the October 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. British authorities have also reported a sustained increase in antisemitic incidents during this period.

Starmer said earlier this month that the government would work with both Muslim and Jewish organizations to ensure adequate security at sensitive locations, warning that broader regional conflicts, including tensions involving Iran, risk exacerbating domestic divisions.

Britain has seen several serious incidents in recent years, including a 2025 attack in Manchester in which two Jewish worshippers were killed during Yom Kippur.