Men released on bail over Jewish charity ambulance arson attack

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Police are treating the arson attack in north London as an antisemitic hate crime

Two men who were arrested over the arson attack on Jewish charity-owned ambulances in north London have been released on bail, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Four Hatzola ambulances in the car park of a synagogue in Golders Green were set alight in the early hours of Monday, in an incident being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.

The men, British nationals aged 47 and 45, were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and have now been bailed until April.

Cdr Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said there were “strict bail conditions in place while we continue to investigate their suspected involvement in this incident”.

“We continue to work to try and identify all of those involved in this appalling attack and the investigation team is working around the clock to do this,” she said.

“I’d like to thank the public and particularly the local Jewish community in the area for their continued support,” she added, appealing for anyone with information to get in touch with the force.

Although the case is not being classed as a terror incident, the Met said the investigation is currently being led by counter-terror officers.

The Met previously said the investigation was looking at an Islamist group with potential links to Iran, following unsubstantiated claims of responsibility by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya - The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand.

The group has claimed responsibility for a number of similar arson incidents across Europe.

Police say that searches have been carried out at addresses in north west and central London where the two men had been arrested - with further searches at two addresses in north west London on Wednesday.

CCTV from Golders Green showed three men running off after setting the ambulances on fire.

Watch: Explosions seen in Golders Green - while suspects caught on CCTV

Security around areas with large Jewish communities has been tightened with extra police patrols including armed police.

The BBC has also seen CCTV footage which shows three men approaching the synagogue in February. Members of the Jewish community now believe this could have been a surveillance attempt before the attack this week.

The footage, which has since been handed to police, shows a man trying to pull a locked door handle. When challenged, they said they were looking for a local mosque.

Synagogue president, Damon Hoff, told the BBC on Tuesday that he was certain there was surveillance of the synagogue before the ambulances in its car park were attacked.

Hatzola is a Jewish-led non-profit organisation that provides free emergency medical response and hospital transportation to the north London community regardless of faith.

Four replacement ambulances, provided by the government, arrived at the non-profit on Tuesday.

Hatzola chairman Shloimie Richman said more than £1.7m raised by public donations since the arson attack would be put towards a new, secure headquarters.

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