Hamza Iqbal, Rehan Khan, Judex Atshatshi and Saif Ali pleaded guilty in the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, in London, to destroying or damaging property while being reckless about whether they would endanger people’s lives, London’s Metropolitan Police said.
The men, who range in age from 18 to 20, were remanded in custody after a hearing on Friday and are expected to be sentenced next spring.
On March 23, at around 1:30 a.m. local time, the ambulances, which were parked near a synagogue in London’s heavily Jewish Golders Green neighborhood, were set on fire. The Met said that the fire caused significant damage and that the four were arrested after an investigation of its counter terror unit.
The Community Security Trust, which provides security for the U.K. Jewish community, welcomed the guilty pleas.
“This was an appalling antisemitic act against a volunteer ambulance service providing emergency medical assistance to people of all backgrounds across north London, simply because those ambulances belonged to a Jewish charity,” the trust said.
Prosecutors said the attack caused about $1.3 million in damage. The four ambulances were destroyed.
A fifth defendant, Subhan Ahmed, 18, pleaded not guilty to assisting an offender and was released on bail under strict conditions. He is expected to stand trial in January.
