UK police arrest 2 men over Jewish ambulances arson attack
Arrests came after police said they were investigating an online claim of responsibility by a little-known Islamist group with links to Iran
British police said on Wednesday they had arrested two men over a London arson attack on four volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation.
The arrests came after police said they were investigating an online claim of responsibility by a little-known Islamist group which has possible links to Iran.
The ambulances were set on fire early Monday while they were parked next to a synagogue in an area of London with a large Jewish population.
The Metropolitan Police said two men aged 47 and 45 were arrested by counterterrorism detectives “on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life”.
The men were arrested at addresses in central and northwestern London where officers were carrying out searches, police said.
The Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) group, meaning The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand, claimed Monday’s attack in a Telegram post, after saying it was also responsible for similar attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Two minors were arrested in Belgium on Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in a “terrorist” organisation after a car was set on fire in Antwerp’s Jewish quarter, also claimed by HAYI.