Four men have pleaded guilty to an arson attack that destroyed four ambulances owned by a Jewish charity in north London, causing damages estimated at over £1 million. The attack occurred in the early hours of March 23 in the Golders Green area, targeting vehicles operated by Hatzola, a volunteer-led ambulance service serving the local Jewish community.

The defendants—Saif Ali, 18, from Walthamstow; Hamza Iqbal, 20, and Rehan Khan, 19, both from Leyton; and Judex Atshatshi, 18, from Dagenham—admitted to the Old Bailey to charges of destroying or damaging property recklessly whether life would be endangered. Prosecutors allege the attack was linked to an Iranian-backed militant group called the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand, with the men believed to have been expecting payment for carrying out the arson.

According to court testimonies, the four ambulances targeted were fully stocked and valued at up to £250,000 each. The fire caused oxygen tanks inside the vehicles to explode, resulting in further damage to a nearby block of flats and the exterior of a synagogue. Surveillance footage, mobile phone data, automatic number-plate recognition, and ultra-low emission zone tracking contributed to identifying and tracing the defendants.

Saif Ali, who rented the car used in the attack, was reported to have coordinated the operation and later boasted about the incident in messages retrieved from his phone. Evidence showed he used an artificial intelligence feature on Snapchat to identify the synagogue’s location prior to the attack. In one message, he promised payment to an accomplice, and shortly after the arson, he described the event as having “done a mad ting.”

At the hearing, three of the defendants were said to have physically set fire to the ambulances while the fourth waited in the getaway vehicle, a blue Toyota Avensis. The four men were remanded in custody and are expected to be sentenced in the spring.

A fifth man, Subhan Ahmed, 18, also from Walthamstow, denies a charge of assisting an offender related to the getaway arrangements and will face trial in January. Prosecutors indicated the connection to a terrorist organization would be considered during sentencing, but this will be determined after Ahmed’s trial.

The targeted destruction of essential emergency vehicles serving a specific community has raised concerns regarding motivations behind the attack and its broader implications for community safety and security.