Security agencies are investigating whether a group linked to Iran is behind an arson attack on four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in north London.
The Metropolitan police said efforts to authenticate a claim of responsibility made by a group known as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI) were a priority as they sought to track three hooded people caught on CCTV at the scene.
It is understood MI5, which is working closely with counter-terrorism officers, has not ruled out Tehran’s involvement in the explosions in Golders Green, an area of north London that has a large Jewish community.
But security sources also cautioned against a rush to tie Iran to the arson, leaving open the possibility of an antisemitic attack with no link to Iran or any organised group. It has not so far been designated as a terrorist incident.
The group, whose name translates as the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, and which the Israeli government has linked to Iran, has claimed responsibility for similar attacks against Jewish institutions in the Netherlands and Belgium in recent weeks.
Last year Ken McCallum, the director general of MI5, warned that Iran represented a serious threat in the UK and said security agencies had tracked “more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots” in the previous year.
Kevan Jones, also known as Lord Beamish, the chair of the intelligence and security committee tasked with overseeing the UK’s spy agencies, said Iran was increasingly using individuals or groups at arm’s length to execute attacks in Europe.
He said: “They are doing this through organised crime and through individuals by paying them and that’s what it is more likely to be here – if it is indeed linked to Iran.”
Jones said the diffuse organisational structure made such operations more difficult to prevent. “We are not always talking about highly sophisticated individuals who are involved but people doing it for money,” he said.
Two Iranians were charged last week with conducting hostile surveillance on Jews in London for Tehran. Last week an Iranian man and a Romanian woman were arrested and charged after allegedly trying to enter Britain’s Faslane nuclear base.
On Monday, the man was released pending further inquiries, while prosecutors said the woman will face no proceedings.
Speaking at the scene of the fires in Golders Green, DCS Luke Williams said the attack had not been declared a terrorist incident although counter-terrorism policing was leading the investigation.
He said: “We believe we are looking for three suspects at this early stage. CCTV footage appears to show three people in hoods pouring an accelerant on to the vehicles before igniting them and fleeing.
“While this has not been declared a terrorist incident at this stage, the investigation is now being led by counter-terrorism policing with all the specialist expertise they bring, and all lines of inquiry remain open. We are aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for this attack. Establishing the authenticity and accuracy of this claim will be a priority for the investigation team but it is not something we can confirm at this point.”
In a post for the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, Julian Lanchès, a junior research fellow, said claims of responsibility for another attack made by HAYI had appeared on a Telegram channel affiliated with a pro-Iranian Shia militia with reported ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
He cautioned there was “no unequivocal proof of Iranian involvement in the series of attacks in Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK” but said the surrounding circumstances appeared to point to an Iranian link.
He also noted other attacks claimed by HAYI in Greece and France, as well as another in the Netherlands, were all probably disinformation.
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.
A member of the leadership team for the synagogue near the arson attack in Golders Green said the CCTV footage showed three individuals placing rags at “strategic points on the ambulances”.
Jack Taub, 33, said: “I’ve seen some footage shared locally of incredible, huge explosions. If you look at the block of flats over there, there’s four, five, six storeys. At one stage, one of the explosions literally reached almost the top of the building.”
He claimed people had been spotted “staking out” the nearby synagogue and its security had been “upped” recently.
The torched emergency vehicles were run by Hatzola Northwest, a Jewish charity established in 1979 and run by volunteers providing free medical transportation and emergency response to Jewish and non-Jewish people in north London.
Oxygen canisters in the vehicles exploded in the heat of the fire, causing damage to the windows of nearby residential properties. Thirty-four residents were temporarily displaced while the fire was brought under the control.
The HAYI group posted a video online claiming responsibility for the attack, containing text in Hebrew, English and Arabic. It claimed a “historic bond” between the Machzike Hadath synagogue and Israel and said it “has become one of the main bastions of support for Israel in Britain”.
The Met said the incident was being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.
Speaking in parliament, Keir Starmer said the government would fund the replacement of the ambulances and discussions had begun about an increased police presence in areas with large Jewish communities.
He said: “The idea that ambulances could be considered a target is simply horrendous, and I know the impact that that will have had on so many individuals, not just those in the area.”
After a meeting with Starmer in Downing Street, Keith Black, the chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, said: “Jews don’t feel as safe as they should. Yes, they should feel safe, but they feel very vulnerable today. I mean, we saw the attacks in Manchester. We saw Iranians arrested a couple of weeks ago for surveying Jewish establishments, and we see today, and we don’t know what is around the corner.
“We’ve seen identity politics turn violent and for one reason or another Jews are caught in the crossfire. And so we do call upon all political parties to make sure that Jewish people are not caught up in this crossfire and we are allowed to live our peaceful lives.”
Dan Jarvis, the security minister, told the Commons that MI5 and the police were engaging in a “relentless national security effort”.
He said: “The prime minister has been clear that this government will lead the way, including through a relentless national security effort, which is being mounted around the clock by MI5 and the police, who of course, have our full backing in their work to detect and disrupt plots targeting the Jewish community in our country.”
