Hendon ward councillor Shimon Ryde said it was time for the government act to protect the Jewish community following the arson attacks in the early of this morning reports Anna Mahtani

A group of people gathered in the dark with a police car in the background alongside bright blue lights — Residents and emergency services at the scene of this morning’s attacks – (Credit – Anna Mahtani)

Four Hatzola ambulances were set on fire outside a synagogue in Golders Green this morning.

Around 1:36AM London Fire Brigade (LFB) received the first of 56 calls about explosions near the Machzike Hadath synagogue on Highfield Road.

No one was injured in the attack, although nearby homes were evacuated and the explosions caused broken glass in the neighbouring block of flats.

The arson incident is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime.

“We know this incident will cause a great deal of community concern and officers remain on scene to carry out urgent enquiries,” said Superintendent Sarah Jackson, head of policing in the local area.

Police have confirmed they are looking for three suspects, who have been captured on CCTV footage.

She added: “There have been no arrests yet, and we would urge anyone with information to please contact us as soon as possible – you can do so anonymously if you wish.”

The ambulances belonged to Hatzola Northwest, a Jewish volunteer service that provides emergency medical services to the whole community.

The multiple explosions are believed to be linked with gas canisters onboard the ambulances.

Police arrived on the scene alongside the fire brigade and TfL Incident Response Unit and cordoned off the area. Nearby houses were evacuated and the road was closed.

Jonathan Royan, a 28-year-old chef who lives in the evacuated building, was asleep when the first explosion went off. He awoke at the sound.

He told Barnet Post: “I looked out of my window and there was blazing fire from two ambulances, my windows and my doors started vibrating a lot.”

That’s when someone knocked on his door to tell him to evacuate. Jonathan woke up his flatmate and joined the street. “We grabbed what we could and we left the building.”

He added: “We had to help an elderly man who was in a wheelchair, so we had to lift him from the fourth floor to the ground floor to leave the building.”

Shimon Ryde, a Barnet councillor for Hendon ward who lives nearby, arrived shortly after the first explosions. He told the Post that while a lot of residents had local families to stay with, some were left stranded.

“We assisted them to one of the communal buildings so that they had somewhere warm,” he explained, as well as providing the evacuees with drinks, coffee and biscuits.

About 20 people were being housed in the nearby youth centre PAI House until the flats were deemed safe to re-enter.

A few elderly people were taken away in an ambulance due to mobility issues.

“As a community we’ve been on high alert. We’ve been just waiting for something to happen in Golders Green and it doesn’t come as any surprise,” said Cllr Ryde.

The ambulances were parked next to Machzike Hadath Synagogue.

“These are institutions at the centre of our community and thank God nobody’s been hurt,” he added. “It’s not for the community to find solutions but it’s for the government to really take seriously the threat that we feel under.”

Superintendent Jackson said: “We will be engaging with faith leaders and carrying out additional patrols in the local area as we continue our investigation to provide reassurance and a highly visible presence.”

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else. £84 annual supporters get a print copy by post and a digital copy of each month's before anyone else.