Is Iran behind the arson of “Hatzalah" ambulances in London? The London police commissioner, Mark Rowley, said that one line of investigation is focusing on an Islamist group with ties to Iran, and it is possible that the arson was carried out on orders from Tehran.
Rowley spoke at the annual dinner of the “Community Security Trust," a charity that monitors antisemitism in the UK, where he said the police are investigating whether the ambulance arson was linked to direct instructions from Iran.
“The police are examining all lines of inquiry, including online claims of responsibility by an Islamist group that has taken credit for other attacks across Europe and has potential ties to Iran," Rowley said. The police chief was referring to an organization called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, associated with Iran, whose members claimed on their Telegram channel that they were responsible for setting the ambulances on fire.
The London police commissioner also added, “The rapid increase in threats from Iran in recent years is serious. Surveillance activities by Iran, 20 foiled plots, attempts at attacks against Iranian exiles-none of this is an isolated incident. It is part of a rapidly changing threat landscape. However, it is still too early to attribute the attack to Tehran."
As a reminder, in the early hours of Monday morning, four Hatzalah ambulances were set on fire in the Golders Green neighborhood of London, causing several explosions due to the gas cylinders on the ambulances.