British police arrest more people following arson attack on Jewish ambulances

Three more people have been arrested by British police in connection with an arson attack on vehicles belonging to the Jewish community in north London last week.

The arrest of the three suspects, including two British citizens and one with dual British-Pakistani nationality, follows the detention of two men who were initially taken in by police, but later released on bail. The men aged 17, 19 and 20 were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson that could have endangered lives, Caliber.Az reports citing Reuters.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his strong outrage over the act, describing the incident as a “deeply shocking antisemitic attack.” 

The investigation is led by counter-terrorism officers, who have noted that they are not treating the incident as an act of terrorism for now. However, the SITE Intelligence Group, an American for-profit consultancy group that tracks online activity of antisemitic and jihadist organisations, reported that a group called the Islamic Movement of the Right Hand People claimed responsibility for the arson attack, which supposedly has links to Iran. 

"We know concern among the ​Jewish ⁠community remains high, but I hope these arrests show that we are doing everything we can to ⁠bring ​those responsible to justice," said ​Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London.

The ambulance cars, belonging to the Jewish charity Hatzola, were set ablaze in the London quarter of Golders Green in the early hours of March 23, causing multiple explosions from gas canisters stored in the vehicles. 

By Nazrin Sadigova