Four men plead guilty to arson attack on Jewish ambulances in London
Details of the Arson Attack and Legal Proceedings
Overview of the Incident
LONDON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Four young British men on Friday admitted to an arson attack on community ambulances in London, the first of a spate of incidents targeting the capital's Jewish community this year.
The four ambulances belonging to Jewish volunteer emergency service Hatzola were set ablaze on March 23 while they were parked near a synagogue.
Related Attacks and Investigation
Subsequent Incidents
In other attacks in April and May, a synagogue and a former synagogue were targeted, as was Persian-language media organisation Iran International and a memorial wall dedicated to people killed in Iran.
Suspected Motives and Claims of Responsibility
British police said at the time that they were investigating possible Iranian links to those arson attacks, with pro-Iranian group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya (HAYI) claiming responsibility for the ambulance attack and some others.
The SITE Intelligence website has said HAYI had been behind similar fires in Europe.
Court Proceedings and Reactions
Guilty Pleas and Charges
Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, Judex Atshatshi, 18, and Saif Ali, 18, appeared at London's Old Bailey court on Friday and pleaded guilty to destroying or damaging the Hatzola ambulances and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.
Community Response
The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity which provides security for Jewish communities, welcomed the guilty pleas.
CST Statement
"This was an appalling antisemitic act against a volunteer ambulance service providing emergency medical assistance to people of all backgrounds across north London, simply because those ambulances belonged to a Jewish charity," the CST said.
Evidence and Additional Defendants
Prosecutors said at a previous hearing that web searches for "how much do ambulances cost" and "how long does it take for police to (investigate) arsons" were found on Iqbal's phone after his arrest.
A fifth defendant, 18-year-old Subhan Ahmed, pleaded not guilty to a charge of assisting an offender relating to the disposal of a vehicle used in the incident. He is expected to stand trial next year.
Impact and Financial Cost
Prosecutors say the attack targeting Hatzola, a not-for-profit volunteer service that works alongside Britain's National Health Service and primarily serves the Orthodox Jewish community, cost around £1 million ($1.36 million).
($1 = 0.7363 pounds)
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Michael Holden, Conor Humphries and Andrew Heavens)