2 men and teen held in U.K. custody over Jewish charity ambulance attack

Two young men and a lad were ordered Saturday to stay successful custody aft appearing successful tribunal connected arson charges successful the torching of 4 ambulances owned by a Jewish foundation successful London.

The March 23 blaze successful Golders Green, a northbound London vicinity with a ample Jewish population, destroyed 4 ambulances belonging to the unpaid enactment Hatzola Northwest, which provides exigency attraction successful the area. Oxygen cylinders successful the vehicles exploded, breaking windows successful an adjacent flat block.

The occurrence was brought nether control, and nary injuries were reported. 

British men Hamza Iqbal, 20, and Rehan Khan, 19, and a 17-year-old of dual British-Pakistani nationality, each from eastbound London, were charged Friday with arson and being reckless arsenic to whether beingness would beryllium endangered. The younger antheral cannot beryllium named for ineligible reasons due to the fact that helium is nether 18. He volition beryllium held successful a younker detention center.

The suspects did not participate pleas astatine the 45-minute proceeding astatine Westminster Magistrates Court connected Saturday. The tribunal besides heard that a 4th fishy was arrested successful transportation with the fire.

Counterterrorism constabulary are investigating the occurrence arsenic an antisemitic hatred crime. They are looking into a assertion of work by a radical with imaginable links to Iran, but person not declared it an enactment of terrorism.

"There is important grounds that this was a premeditated and targeted onslaught against the Jewish community," authoritative Emma Harraway told the court.

The 3 defendants are acceptable to look astatine London's Central Criminal Court, amended known arsenic the Old Bailey, connected April 24.

Two different men were antecedently released connected bail aft being arrested connected suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.

The U.K. and Europe person seen a rise successful antisemitic incidents in caller months, including an explosion extracurricular a Jewish school in Amsterdam and nighttime attacks successful beforehand of synagogues successful the Belgian metropolis of Liege and the Dutch larboard metropolis of Rotterdam earlier this month. 

In aboriginal March, 2 men were charged with carrying retired "hostile" surveillance of the London's Jewish assemblage connected behalf of Iran. Later that aforesaid month, officials successful France said they foiled a suspected panic plot aimed astatine Jewish targets.

In:

• Amsterdam
• Antisemitism
• European Union