The wreckage of burnt ambulances is seen in a car park at Golders Green in London, March 23, 2026, after an arson attack targeting the vehicles, which were run by a Jewish charity. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Fifth suspect charged in March arson of Hatzola ambulances in London’s Golders Green

Subhan Ahmed, an 18-year-old British national, is charged with ‘assisting an offender’ in connection with the arson attack, and is due to appear in court on June 16

by · The Times of Israel

JTA — Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service announced Tuesday that an 18-year-old man has been charged in connection with the March arson attack that destroyed four ambulances owned by Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer emergency service.

Subhan Ahmed, a British national, was charged on Monday with “assisting an offender” in connection with the arson.

The ambulances were set ablaze in the early morning of March 23 in Golders Green, a heavily Jewish neighborhood in London. The incident spurred increased patrols in Jewish communities.

The charge is the latest development in an investigation being led by the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism unit.

Four others have already been charged in connection with the attack.

Three British nationals — 20-year-old Hamza Iqbal, 19-year-old Rehan Khan and 18-year-old Judex Atshatshi — along with a 17-year-old dual British and Pakistani national were all charged in April with “committing arson, destroying or damaging property, and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.”

The four have remained in custody ahead of a trial planned for January. Ahmed, meanwhile, was released ahead of a June 16 court date.

Protesters gather near Downing Street during a “national emergency” rally organized by the Campaign Against Antisemitism following a knife attack in Golders Green, in London, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

The ambulance arsons came at the early edge of a wave of incidents that have put London Jews on edge and induced the city’s police force to step up their presence in Jewish communities. The incidents have included multiple incendiary devices placed near synagogues as well as the stabbing in April of two Jewish men in Golders Green. The Metropolitan Police reported last week that antisemitic hate crimes in the capital rose 72% in May.

Following the announcement of Ahmed’s charge, the Community Security Trust, a Jewish organization, thanked the police and the Crown Prosecution Service “for their ongoing work investigating this attack and other arson incidents targeting the Jewish community.”

It added in a statement, “These are very serious allegations, and it is right that those responsible are being held accountable.”