FOUR PLEAD GUILTY: Men Admit Torching Four Hatzola Ambulances In Targeted Golders Green Arson Attack

Four men have pleaded guilty to setting fire to four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green, London, in a devastating arson attack that prosecutors have described as premeditated and targeted against the Jewish community.

Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, Judex Atshatshi, 18, and Saif Ali, 18, appeared Friday at the Old Bailey, where they admitted destroying or damaging property by arson in connection with the March 23 attack.

The blaze destroyed four fully equipped ambulances belonging to Hatzola, the volunteer emergency medical service serving the Jewish community in northwest London, causing approximately £1 million in damage.

According to prosecutors, Ali obtained a blue Toyota Avensis that the group used to travel from east London to Golders Green. Three members of the group then set fire to the Hatzola ambulances while the fourth remained inside the vehicle.

The fire quickly intensified, with gas canisters stored inside the fully stocked emergency vehicles exploding. In addition to destroying the ambulances, the blaze caused damage to nearby residential flats and a shul.

At an earlier court hearing, prosecutor Emma Harraway said: “There is significant evidence that this was a premeditated and targeted attack against the Jewish community.”

The four suspects were arrested following an investigation led by counterterrorism police.

Authorities have previously said the precise motive for the attack remains unclear. However, an Iran-aligned group known as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, or HAYI, claimed responsibility for the attack online.

Iqbal and Khan are from Leyton, Atshatshi is from Dagenham, and Ali, a dual British-Pakistani national, is from Walthamstow.

All four were remanded in custody following their guilty pleas. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb ordered pre-sentence reports to be prepared, with sentencing expected next spring.

The charge states that the four men destroyed the Hatzola ambulances while intending to destroy or damage the property, or were “reckless” as to whether the property would be destroyed and whether lives would be endangered.