This is an aerial view as fire services on Monday continued to monitor the scene after four Hatzolah ambulances were set on fire overnight next to Machzike Hadath Synagogue in London, England.

• Police in London arrested two men on suspicion of arson after four volunteer ambulances run by Hatzola were set on fire near a synagogue in Golders Green.
• Authorities are treating the incident as an antisemitic hate crime and are investigating a claim of responsibility by the little-known group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya.
• Counter-terrorism detectives say the arrests are a key breakthrough, though investigations continue after CCTV footage showed three suspects involved in the attack.

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 arrest of the two British nationals 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 on Monday while they were parked next to a synagogue in the Golders Green area of London, which has a large Jewish population.

The Metropolitan Police said two men aged 47 and 45 were arrested by counter-terrorism detectives "on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life".

This offence carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. The police statement did not mention a terror charge.

READ | London Jews fear 'escalation' after attack on ambulances

Police earlier said the attack was being treated "as an antisemitic hate crime".

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.

The SITE monitoring service has said the group is aligned with Iran.

‘Important breakthrough’

London police chief Mark Rowley said late on Monday his forces were "pursuing all lines of enquiry, including an online claim of responsibility by an Islamist group who have claimed other attacks across Europe and have potential Iranian state links".

The attack targeted ambulances run by the volunteer organisation Hatzola, which provides free medical transportation and emergency response to those living in north London.

The head of counterterrorism policing for London, Helen Flanagan, was quoted as saying on Wednesday that the arrests appeared to be an "important breakthrough in the investigation".

But she conceded that CCTV footage of the incident showed three people involved.

Police said the footage showed three people in hoods pouring an accelerant on the vehicles, setting them on fire and fleeing.

READ | UK police investigating ‘antisemitic hate crime’ after four Jewish ambulances torched

The investigation "very much remains active," and police will "seek to arrest all of those who may have been involved," Flanagan said.

Investigators have appealed for people to submit mobile phone images related to the attack.

Police have announced "highly visible" patrols following the attack, which comes amid an upsurge in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in Britain, particularly during the recent war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Golders Green has recently become a rallying point for the capital's Iranian community.

A memorial wall put up there to commemorate victims of the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel now also has pictures of victims of Iran's crackdown on protesters.