Fifth Man Charged With Assisting Offender After Golders Green Jewish Ambulance Arson

An 18-year-old man has been charged with assisting an offender in connection with an arson attack that destroyed four Jewish community ambulances in Golders Green, north-west London. Subhan Ahmed of Walthamstow is alleged to have made arrangements to scrap his car to help others avoid arrest or prosecution. He is the fifth person charged in the case.

The attack took place on 23 March 2026. Three people are alleged to have set the vehicles alight while a fourth waited in a blue Toyota Avensis. Gas canisters inside the ambulances exploded during the blaze, which caused an estimated £1 million in damage and also affected nearby property and a synagogue.

Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said prosecutors had decided to charge Ahmed after determining there was sufficient evidence and that it was in the public interest. He said the CPS had worked closely with Counter Terrorism Policing London during the investigation.

Ferguson added that criminal proceedings against Ahmed are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.

He stated it is vital that no reporting, commentary or online sharing of information should prejudice the proceedings. Ahmed has been bailed with strict conditions, the Metropolitan Police said. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 16 June.

Four others were previously charged over the same incident: Hamza Iqbal, 20, and Rehan Khan, 19, both British nationals from Leyton; Judex Atshatshi, 18, a British national from Dagenham; and a 17-year-old dual British-Pakistani national from Walthamstow.

The three men and the boy appeared at the Old Bailey on 24 April, were remanded in custody and have a trial date set for January 2027, with their next hearing listed for 28 August.