Hamza Iqbal, Rehan Khan, Judex Atshatshi and Saif Ali pleaded guilty in the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, in London, to destroying or damaging property while being reckless about whether they would endanger people’s lives, London’s Metropolitan Police said.
The men, who range in age from 18 to 20, were remanded in custody after a hearing on Friday and are expected to be sentenced next spring.
On March 23, at around 1:30 a.m. local time, the ambulances, which were parked near a synagogue in London’s heavily Jewish Golders Green neighborhood, were set on fire. The Met said the fire caused significant damage and that the four were arrested after an investigation by its counter-terror unit.
“The guilty pleas are an important step toward accountability for this appalling attack,” Evan Bernstein, CEO of B’nai B’rith International, told JNS. “Setting fire to ambulances serving the Jewish community is a serious crime.”
“But even more, it is a deeply disturbing act of antisemitism that threatens the safety and security of Jews across London,” he said. “We commend law enforcement for pursuing those responsible and urge continued vigilance to ensure Jewish communities can live and worship without fear.”
The Community Security Trust, which provides security for the U.K. Jewish community, welcomed the guilty pleas.
“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 trust said.
Prosecutors said the attack caused about $1.3 million in damage. The four ambulances were destroyed.
A fifth defendant, Subhan Ahmed, 18, pleaded not guilty to assisting an offender and was released on bail under strict conditions. He is expected to stand trial in January.
