Three arrested over arson attack on jewish ambulance service in london

Three men, including two British citizens and a teenager of dual British-Pakistani nationality, have been ordered to remain in custody after appearing in court on arson charges in connection with the torching of four ambulances owned by a Jewish charity in London.

London police investigate arson as antisemitic hate crime

Prosecutors say there is significant evidence that the March 23 blaze in Golders Green, a north London neighborhood with a large Jewish population, was a premeditated and targeted attack against the Jewish community.

The fire, which destroyed four ambulances belonging to the volunteer organization Hatzola Northwest, also caused explosions of oxygen cylinders, breaking windows in an adjacent apartment block. No one was injured.

Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, and the unnamed 17-year-old, all from east London, were charged with arson and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered. The 17-year-old will be held in a youth detention center.

Counterterrorism police are investigating the fire as an antisemitic hate crime, with a potential claim of responsibility from a group with links to Iran. The suspects did not enter pleas at the 45-minute hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court on Saturday.

The three defendants are set to appear at London's Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, on April 24. Two other men were previously released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.