Four men admit arson attack on Jewish community ambulances in Golders Green
The arson attack caused £1 million of damage in north London
Four men have pleaded guilty to destroying four Jewish community ambulances in an arson attack that caused £1 million of damage in north London.
Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, and 18-year-olds Judex Atshatshi and Saif Ali admitted a charge of destroying or damaging property being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.
The charge relates to an attack on ambulances in Golders Green in the early hours of 23rd March.
How the Golders Green ambulance arson attack unfolded
Three of the defendants were said to have set fire to the fully stocked vehicles, while a fourth waited in a blue Toyota Avensis.
The blaze caused gas canisters inside the ambulances to explode, and nearby flats and a synagogue were also damaged.
Four electrical charging stations and cables, costing around £5,000 each, were also damaged.
The ambulances belonged to Hatzola, a volunteer-led ambulance service operating in the Golders Green area, and were said to cost between £240,000 and £250,000 each.
Prosecutors have said they believe the attack was targeted against the Jewish community.
Terrorist connection alleged in Hatzola ambulance attack
Prosecutor Leo Seelig suggested the attack had a "terrorist connection", although no mention was made in court of potential proxies working for Iran.
Counter-terror police have previously looked into the possible involvement of Iranian proxies in the arson attack, as well as other attacks on Jewish sites in London.
Most have been claimed online by Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right.
In April, Iran's embassy in the UK said it "categorically rejects" allegations of involvement in "violent activities or incidents in the United Kingdom".
What the Old Bailey court heard about the attack
On his arrest on 1st April, Ali threw his mobile phone out of a window, the court has previously been told.
The defendant, then aged 17, had been in contact with someone in February about buying a blue Toyota Avensis and had researched online how much ambulances cost.
The prosecution alleged Ali went on to source the Toyota used in the attack, with WhatsApp messages between him and a co-defendant relating to the purchase.
Sentencing and fifth defendant's trial
Atshatshi, Khan and Iqbal entered their pleas by video link from Wandsworth and Pentonville jails, with Ali in the dock of the Old Bailey.
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb ordered pre-sentence reports for Iqbal and Khan, from Leyton, east London, Atshatshi, from Dagenham, east London, and Ali, of dual British-Pakistani nationality, from Walthamstow.
Remanding them in custody, the senior judge said their sentencing would take place in the spring of 2027 at the conclusion of a separate trial.
At the same hearing, a fifth defendant, 18-year-old Subhan Ahmed, from Walthamstow, pleaded not guilty to a charge of assisting an offender.
Ahmed, who is alleged to have helped to get rid of the car used in the attack, will go on trial at the Old Bailey on 27th January next year.