Trio facing arson charges over UK Jewish ambulance attack

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LONDON: Three young men have been charged with arson in London following a March 23 attack on four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity. 

British police identified the suspects as 20-year-old Hamza Iqbal, 19-year-old Rehan Khan, and an unnamed 17-year-old. The trio was arrested at different locations in east London and faces charges of reckless arson that endangered lives.

The target of the attack was Hatzola, a volunteer organization providing emergency medical response and transportation in north London. The vehicles were set on fire while parked near a synagogue in the Golders Green neighborhood, an area with a prominent Jewish community. While no physical injuries were reported, authorities are treating the incident as an antisemitic hate crime.

The investigation is being led by counter-terrorism officers, though the incident has not been officially declared a terror offense. A relatively unknown Islamist group, Harakat Ashab Al-Yamin Al-Islamiya (HAYI), has claimed responsibility for the fire. The group has also claimed similar attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands, and is being investigated for a foiled plot in Paris.

In response to the incident, London police have increased security measures around Jewish community sites. The legal proceedings for the suspects are set to begin at Westminster court, as the community and authorities remain on high alert following the rise in targeted vandalism.

Photo Credits: AFP