An attack on four Jewish community ambulances in Golders Green has shocked the nation as counterterrorism police are investigating the incident in northwest London.
The incident is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime by the Metropolitan Police, but not as terrorism at this stage, although counterterrorism police are investigating an online claim by a suspected terror group that has taken responsibility for the attack.
A Telegram post from Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI) has circulated online which claims to be the group behind the arson.
An unverified video, posted after 6am on Monday on the group’s Telegram channel, showed street view Google Maps, images of the ambulances and footage of explosions.
Who are they?
Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia is a new group with suspected links to pro-Iranian networks, according to Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism. Their name translates to the “Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right[eous]”.
The group’s Telegram channel, which appeared to only be created on Saturday, includes numerous videos from alleged incidents. This includes unverified footage of the explosions in Golders Green, and of an attack in Amsterdam targeting a US bank.
Earlier this month, the Israeli diaspora ministry released a report which said the attacks appear to be part of intimidation and psychological warfare against Jewish communities in Europe.
Diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism minister Amichai Chikli told The Times of Israel: “The recent events in Europe are not isolated incidents but part of a disturbing pattern of action: Terrorist networks affiliated with the Iranian axis are trying to expand their arena of operation into the cities and Jewish communities of Europe.”
The report also said that the group operates through local cells or individuals who are directed from abroad.
It highlighted that the organisation’s name is similar to one used by the Iraqi militia, Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, which was described as a terrorist organisation by the US State Department.
The group’s logo also closely resembles the symbols used by Iranian-aligned militant groups, according to The Times of Israel.
What has the group claimed?
The terror group issued a statement at the start of an unverified video on its Telegram channel which claimed its primary target was the Machzike Hadath Synagogue due to its links to Israel.
The post also cited Conservative former prime minister Rishi Sunak’s visit to the synagogue during the election campaign in June 2024 to express “his country’s unwavering support for Israel”.
What other incidents are they linked to?
The group previously claimed responsibility for several attacks on Jewish sites in Belgium and the Netherlands between 9 and 14 March, according to the Israeli ministry.
They included an explosive attack at a synagogue in Liege, Belgium, an arson attack on a Rotterdam synagogue and an explosive device set off at a Jewish school in Amsterdam.
HAYI was also suspected to be linked to an attack at a Jewish site in Greece, according to the Israeli diaspora ministry.
Israel’s ministry of foreign affairs posted on X (formerly Twitter) on 15 March that HAYI was “a jihadi group tied to an Iranian proxy”, responsible for attacks at a Jewish site in Greece.
It said “the IRGC continues to sponsor and export terror across the globe”.
The police response
Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said: “We are aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for this attack.
“Establishing the authenticity and accuracy of this claim will be a priority for the investigation team, but it is not something we can confirm at this point.”
Police are currently looking for three people in hoods, seen on CCTV pouring accelerant on the vehicles, which belong to Jewish community ambulance service Hatzola, before setting them on fire and running away.
