Three people arrested in connection with an arson attack on volunteer-led ambulances run by the Jewish community in Golders Green have been charged, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed.

Hamza Iqbal, 20, and Rehan Khan, 19, both British nationals from Leyton, east London, have been charged with arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered. A 17-year-old boy, a dual British and Pakistani national from Walthamstow who will remain anonymous due to his age, has also been charged. They were all arrested on Wednesday, April 1, at different locations in east London. Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing London have carried out searches at these addresses.

The arrests and charges were linked to the ongoing investigation into an arson attack at around 1.35am on March 23, when four ambulances from Hatzola, a volunteer-led ambulance service operating in the Golders Green area of north London, were set on fire.

Iqbal, Khan and the 17-year-old are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, 4 April.

At this stage, the incident has not been declared as terrorism, but police said due to the circumstances of the incident, along with the specialist capability within Counter Terrorism Policing, the investigation is being led by detectives from CTP London.

Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, which is leading the investigation said: “Since this appalling attack last week, we have been working continuously to investigate and identify those responsible.

“The investigation has now reached a stage where three people have been charged and they will now appear in court.

“I want to reiterate that the support we had from the local community since this attack took place has been incredible, and we will continue to work closely with local policing colleagues to do everything we can to keep the public safe.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who leads policing in North West London, confirmed that police presence has been increased in certain communities since the incident.

He said: “We know that local community concerns continue to remain high – particularly for our Jewish communities in the Passover festival period.

“Since the arson attack, we have put in place an enhanced, bespoke policing plan, which has been focused around vulnerable areas not only in Golders Green, but right across London.

“This has involved a significant number of additional officers on the ground, with the aim of protecting communities, disrupting offenders, and detecting crime.

“This activity is ongoing and will continue over the coming days and includes specialist officers and capability being deployed alongside local officers.

“It is also being supported by highly visible armed police patrols to serve as a deterrent to anyone seeking to cause our communities harm.

“As I’ve said before, these are precautionary measures and not in response to any specific threat, and we continue to work alongside our colleagues in Counter Terrorism Policing to support their investigation. We will also continue to work closely with local communities and our partners to listen to their concerns and respond to these.”

Two men were previously arrested on Wednesday, 25 March, and they have both been released on bail to a date in late-April, pending further enquiries.