London: Arson attack on Jewish ambulances investigated by counter-terror police

ER Editor: We’re calling false flag on this. There’s messaging here, we believe —

She does have a point —

The Al Jazeera journalists get a warm Golders Green reception. Worth watching —

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Arson attack on Jewish charity ambulances investigated by counter-terror police

THOMAS  MacKINTOSH and JESSICA RAWNSLEY for BBC

An arson attack on Jewish charity-owned ambulances in north London is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime and is being investigated by counter-terror officers, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Four Hatzola ambulances were set ablaze in Golders Green in the early hours of Monday, causing several explosions – caused by gas canisters onboard the vehicles.

1:06 Watch: Moment explosion is seen in Golders Green, London

No arrests have been made, but CCTV which appears to show three suspects dressed in black setting fire to an ambulance is being investigated.

Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said officers were investigating whether a group with “potential Iranian state links” could have been behind the attack.

He stressed it was too early to attribute the attack to Iran but expressed concern at the “rapid growth in recent years of Iranian state threats” in the UK.

Police also said the attack had not been declared a terror incident “at this stage”.

Footage appears to show three people in hoods pouring accelerant on the vehicles before setting them on fire and fleeing.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urged anyone with information to contact police.

“There have as yet been no arrests, but the perpetrators must be in no doubt we will pursue them and make them face the consequences of this wicked crime,” she told the the House of Commons.

“This incident comes at a time of soaring antisemitism in our country and today my message to our Jewish community is clear: we stand with you, we will do everything in our power to protect you and we will fight relentlessly to rid our society of antisemitism.”

Reuters A drone view of four ambulances belonging to Hatzola, a Jewish community organisation, that were set on fire in northwest LondonReuters  The London Fire Brigade received 56 calls about the fire attack on four Jewish community ambulances

Iran-aligned group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya – The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand (ER: say what?! Is this a Monty Python script?) – made an unsubstantiated claim of responsibility for the attack on its Telegram channel.

In an update on Monday evening, the Met Police said detectives were “aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for the attack and inquiries are ongoing to establish the authenticity and accuracy of this claim”.

The London Fire Brigade said crews were sent to Highfield Road at around 01:40 GMT. The fires were brought under control less than two hours later. No injuries have been reported.

Deputy assistant commissioner Paul Askew said: “Upon arrival, crews were met with a well-developed fire involving four ambulances.

“Several cylinders stored within the vehicles exploded because of the heat, causing damage to the windows of a nearby residential block.”

Hatzola is a large non-profit, Jewish-led organisation that provides free emergency medical response and transportation to hospitals.

Run by volunteers, it has served the north London community of Golders Green, which has a large Jewish population, since 1979. There are dozens of synagogues throughout the area and according to the London Data Store, 49% of residents in the Golders Green ward identify as Jewish.

Hatzola representative Laurence Blitz said it was “shocking for any normal-minded person to attack an organisation whose sole purpose is to save lives”.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan described the overnight arson attack as a “dark day for London”.

The government will fund the replacement of the four destroyed Hatzola ambulances, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer – who earlier met Jewish community leaders in Downing Street – told Parliament.

During a select liaison committee hearing at the Commons, Sir Keir said: “The idea that we live in a society where people should feel they need to hide their identity or their religion is, frankly, abhorrent.

“Antisemitism is an old hatred, but it requires constant vigilance to overcome it.”

More than £1m has been raised across multiple GoFundMe pages to help rebuild the Hatzola fleet.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting promised the London Ambulance Service would provide additional support to ensure that “we don’t miss a beat” responding to emergency callouts.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis later told the Commons the damaged vehicles would be replaced on Tuesday.

CONTINUE READING HERE

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Published to The Liberty Beacon from EuropeReloaded.com

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