Three charged over Jewish charity ambulance fires

Three people have been charged after four Jewish charity-owned ambulances were set on fire in north London last week.

The Hatzola ambulances were set alight in the car park of a synagogue in Golders Green in the early hours of 23 March.

Two British men - Hamza Iqbal, 20, and Rehan Khan, 19 - and a 17-year-old boy who is a dual British-Pakistani national, have all been charged with arson with intent to damage property and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.

They were arrested on Wednesday at three different east London properties in connection with an investigation into the suspected attack, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

Iqbal and Khan, both from Leyton, and the 17-year-old from Walthamstow, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday.

Counter-terror police are leading the investigation, but the incident "has not been declared as terrorism" at this stage, the Met said.

Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's special crime and counter terrorism division, issued a reminder that the "criminal proceedings against these defendants are active" and that they have the right to a fair trial.

Last week, two men aged 45 and 47 were arrested in connection with the case and released on bail until late April.

Cdr Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: "Since this appalling attack last week, we have been working continuously to investigate and identify those responsible."

She said the support from the local community since the attack took place had been "incredible".

The ambulances were run by Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer-led group which treats patients regardless of faith.

Police patrols have been stepped up in areas with large Jewish populations since the attack.

"We know that local community concerns continue to remain high – particularly for our Jewish communities in the Passover festival period," Det Ch Sup Luke Williams, who is in charge of North West London policing, said.

He emphasised that the presence of additional officers were "precautionary measures and not in response to any specific threat".