Three charged over Golders Green arson attack

Three people arrested in connection with a Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) investigation into an arson attack on volunteer-led ambulances run by the Jewish community in Golders Green, have been charged.

[C] Hamza Iqbal 20 (28.10.05) and [D] Rehan Khan 19 (11.02.07), both British nationals from Leyton, and [E] a 17-year-old boy, a dual British and Pakistani national from Walthamstow, have been charged, following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service, with arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered contrary to Section 1(2) – Criminal Damage Act 1971

They were all arrested on Wednesday, 1 April at different locations in east London and officers from Counter Terrorism Policing London have carried out searches at these addresses.

The arrests and charges are linked to the ongoing investigation into an arson attack at approximately 01:35hrs on Monday, 23 March. Four ambulances from Hatzola, a volunteer-led ambulance service operating in the Golders Green area of north London, were set on fire during the incident.

Iqbal, Khan and the 17-year-old are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, 4 April.

Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, which is leading the investigation said: “Since this appalling attack last week, we have been working continuously to investigate and identify those responsible. The investigation has now reached a stage where three people have been charged and they will now appear in court.

“I want to reiterate that the support we had from the local community since this attack took place has been incredible, and we will continue to work closely with local policing colleagues to do everything we can to keep the public safe.”

At this stage, the incident has not been declared as terrorism, but due to the circumstances of the incident, along with the specialist capability within CTP, the investigation is being led by detectives from CTP London.

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who leads policing in North West London said: “We know that local community concerns continue to remain high – particularly for our Jewish communities in the Passover festival period. Since the arson attack, we have put in place an enhanced, bespoke policing plan, which has been focused around vulnerable areas not only in Golders Green, but right across London. This has involved a significant number of additional officers on the ground, with the aim of protecting communities, disrupting offenders, and detecting crime. This activity is ongoing and will continue over the coming days and includes specialist officers and capability being deployed alongside local officers. It is also being supported by highly visible armed police patrols to serve as a deterrent to anyone seeking to cause our communities harm.

“As I’ve said before, these are precautionary measures and not in response to any specific threat, and we continue to work alongside our colleagues in Counter Terrorism Policing to support their investigation. We will also continue to work closely with local communities and our partners to listen to their concerns and respond to these.”

Two men [A and B] were previously arrested on Wednesday, 25 March, and they have both been released on bail to a date in late-April, pending further enquiries.