Four charged over Jewish community ambulances blaze to appear at crown court

Four men charged after Jewish community ambulances were torched in north-west London are due to appear before the crown court for the first time on Friday.

The four ambulances from Hatzola, a volunteer-led ambulance service operating in the Golders Green area, were set on fire in the early hours of March 23, causing gas canisters stored in the vehicles to explode and resulting in £1 million of damage, prosecutors have said.

Hamza Iqbal, 20, Rehan Khan, 19, Judex Atshatshi, 18, and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are set to appear at the Old Bailey on Friday.

They are due to attend for a preliminary hearing before Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb.

Prosecutors have said they believe the incident was a targeted attack against the Jewish community.

British men Iqbal and Khan, from Leyton, east London, and the 17-year-old boy, of dual British-Pakistani nationality, from Walthamstow, are charged with arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.

The trio appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on April 4 where they were remanded in custody.

Atshatshi, a British national from Dagenham, east London, appeared at the same magistrates’ court on Saturday, charged with arson with intent to damage property and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.

He was also remanded in custody.