Two men aged 45 and 47 have been arrested in connection with an arson attack on four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community service in London , the Metropolitan police have said.
The force said the men, both UK nationals, were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and both men had been taken to a London police station for questioning. Police were searching two addresses.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of counter-terrorism policing London, which is leading the investigation, said: “We have been working around the clock since this appalling attack took place and this has led to these arrests being made this morning. This appears to be an important breakthrough in the investigation, but we’re also mindful that CCTV footage of the incident suggests there were at least three people involved.
“We fully recognise the local community will still be concerned and our investigation very much remains active and we will continue to work to identify and seek to arrest all of those who may have been involved.
“I’d like to thank the public and particularly the local Jewish community in the area for their continued support and reiterate our appeal to anyone who might have information that could assist with the investigation to get in touch with us.”
Officers were called to Highfield Road in Golders Green at about 1.45am on Monday after receiving reports of ambulances on fire near the Machzike Hadath synagogue.
The vehicles were run by Hatzola Northwest, a Jewish charity established in 1979 and run by volunteers to provide free medical transportation and emergency response to Jewish and non-Jewish people in north London.
The Met previously said the incident was being treated as an antisemitic hate crime, and counter-terrorism officers were leading the investigation.
More details soon …
