Fourth suspect arrested over Jewish charity ambulance arson attack

A fourth suspect has been arrested in connectionwith the arson attack on Jewish charity-owned ambulances in north London last week, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.

The prosecution told Westminster Magistrates' Court the individual had been arrested on Saturday morning at the court. A man was seen being taken out of the building by police. The court was told four suspects took part in the attack.

Three individuals charged following the attack appeared at the court this morning, and have since been remanded in custody.

They are two British men - Hamza Iqbal, 20, and Rehan Khan, 19 - and a 17-year-old boy who is a dual British-Pakistani national.

They have been charged with arson with intent to damage property and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.

The Metropolitan Police later confirmed a 19-year-old man who officers had recognised was arrested at the court on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and taken into custody.

The Hatzola ambulances were set alight in the car park of a synagogue in Golders Green in the early hours of 23 March. The court was told damage worth nearly £1m had been caused.

The court heard there was strong evidence the attack was a "premeditated and targeted attack against the Jewish community".

The three suspects in the dock were dressed in grey tracksuits and spoke only to confirm their names and addresses. A number of their family members were present.

Iqbal and Khan are both from Leyton, and the 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons is from Walthamstow.

They were arrested on Wednesday at three different east London properties.

Last week, two men aged 45 and 47 were arrested in connection with the case and released on bail until late April.

Prosecutors said investigations were continuing to see if an Iranian-backed group who claimed responsibility for the attack had been involved.

Counter-terror police are leading the investigation, but the incident "has not been declared as terrorism" at this stage, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Friday.

Cdr Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: "Since this appalling attack last week, we have been working continuously to investigate and identify those responsible."

She said the support from the local community since the attack took place had been "incredible".

Police patrols have been stepped up in areas with large Jewish populations following the attack.

"We know that local community concerns continue to remain high – particularly for our Jewish communities in the Passover festival period," Det Ch Sup Luke Williams, who is in charge of North West London policing, said.

He emphasised that the presence of additional officers were "precautionary measures and not in response to any specific threat".

The three individuals who have been charged will next appear in court at the Old Bailey on 24 April.