Three more people have been arrested in connection with an investigation into an alleged arson attack on ambulances run by the Jewish community in Golders Green.
The trio – a 20-year-old man, a 19 year-old man and, a 17-year-old boy – were arrested early on Wednesday at three separate addresses in East London, Metropolitan Police said.
All three were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life and have been taken to a London police station where they remain in police custody. Officers are carrying out searches of the places they were arrested.
Four ambulances from Hatzola, a volunteer-led ambulance service operating in north-west London, were set on fire in the early hours of 23 March, causing gas canisters stored in the vehicles to explode.
The 20-year-old and 19-year-old are British nationals, while the 17-year-old is a dual British and Pakistani national, the force said.
Counterterrorism police are leading the investigation into the arson attack, although it is not being treated as terrorism at this stage. Metropolitan Police described the attack as an antisemitic hate crime last Monday evening.
Two men, 45 and 47, were previously arrested on Wednesday last week. They have both been released on bail to a date in late April, pending further enquiries.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, which is leading the investigation said she hoped the arrests showed the police were doing all they could to bring those responsible to justice.
“Since this appalling attack last week, we have been working continuously to investigate and identify those responsible,” she said. “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.
“As I’ve said previously, the support we had from the local community since this attack took place has been incredible, and we will continue to work closely with local policing colleagues to do everything we can to keep the public safe.”
More than a week after the arson attack, the Metropolitan Police said it had deployed an additional 264 officers as well as specialist officer as part of an enhanced, bespoke policing plan to increase security for the Jewish community as the Passover period begins.
Detective chief superintendent Luke Williams, who leads policing in North West London said: “We know local community concern continues to remain high – particularly for our Jewish communities as they now enter the Passover festival period. Since the arson attack, we have put in place an enhanced, bespoke policing plan, which has been focused around vulnerable areas not only in Golders Green, but right across London.
“This has involved a significant number of officers on the ground, with the aim of protecting communities, disrupting offenders, and detecting crime. This activity is ongoing and will continue over the coming days and weeks and includes specialist officers and capability being deployed alongside local officers. It is also being supported by highly visible armed police patrols to serve as a deterrent to anyone seeking to cause our communities harm.
“As I’ve said before, these are precautionary measures and not in response to any specific threat, and we continue to work alongside our colleagues in Counter Terrorism Policing to support their investigation. We will also continue to work closely with local communities and our partners to listen to their concerns and respond to these.”
