A little-known faction has claimed responsibility for a string of antisemitic attacks in Europe and told reporters it will continue to target U.S. and Israeli interests worldwide. Security camera footage in London captured three men setting fire to ambulances used by a global Jewish medical organization; hours later the same group claimed a car burned in a Jewish neighborhood in Antwerp, Belgium.
The group identified itself as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (The Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Righteous). In messages to CBS News the group warned it would keep threatening U.S. and Israeli interests ‘‘until we’ve avenged every child in Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, and the resistance nations,’’ and urged people to avoid what it called Zionist and American targets.
The movement first announced itself in early March, after the U.S. and Israel began a campaign against Iran. Since then it has claimed a series of incidents in Belgium and the Netherlands and published propaganda on a Telegram channel launched last week. That channel posted in English, Arabic and Hebrew but not Persian, and its material drew on Christian and Jewish philosophy rather than classical Islamic texts.
CBS News exchanged messages with the channel administrator, who used the name Asad-Allah and wrote in American English. The administrator said the London ambulance fires were set at night to avoid harming people but warned that tactic ‘‘could change.’’ The channel cited conflicts in Gaza and Iran to justify attacks on Jewish cultural centers and on a building housing the Dutch office of the Bank of New York Mellon, a claim that followed reported Iranian threats to U.S. financial institutions in the region.
Experts say the group’s sudden online appearance and low-budget visuals point to a hybrid or astroturfed model rather than a long-established local organization. Lucas Webber, a senior threat intelligence analyst at Tech Against Terrorism, described the group as looking ‘‘less like a grassroots European cell and more like an astroturfed terror brand plugged into an existing Iran-aligned network experimenting with low-cost, high-visibility operations in Europe.’’
Conflict analyst Sharon Adarlo suggested perpetrators could be volunteer or paid recruits recruited by pro-Iran elements and warned of further incidents and copycats. Analysts also noted an unusual choice of musical scores in the videos: orchestral backing instead of the Islamic ‘‘nasheeds’’ commonly used in jihadist propaganda, yet the clips can still produce psychological impact and attract media attention.
Neil Basu, former head of U.K. Counterterrorism Policing, cautioned the group might opportunistically claim attacks it did not organize, a tactic used in the past by other extremist movements to amplify perceived reach. Using proxies or third parties would provide plausible deniability for any state sponsor while still creating disruption, he said.
Reporting by CBS News and other outlets tracking these incidents has documented patterns in which predominantly young men—often recent immigrants—are recruited via Telegram and social media with offers of quick payment in cash or cryptocurrency. Research from the Royal United Services Institute has also identified involvement by intelligence-linked networks associated with Russia in some European incidents. Court records in past cases show suspects sometimes had little knowledge of wider objectives or of who was funding them.
Adarlo said she could not confirm a direct Iranian link: recruits might have contacted the IRGC via Telegram, been paid a small fee, or been used by pro-Iran elements to create disruption, she said, while not ruling out organized-crime involvement. CBS News noted the group’s Telegram account was deleted shortly after the outlet’s correspondence.
Claims attributed to Ashab al-Yamin before the London ambulance arson included an improvised explosive detonated outside a synagogue in Liege, an explosion at a Rotterdam synagogue, and multiple arson and vandalism incidents targeting Jewish sites in Belgium and the Netherlands. Early Tuesday the group said it had burned cars on a major street in Antwerp.
Police responses and arrests have followed several of those incidents. Dutch authorities arrested five teenagers after a March 13 explosion at a Rotterdam synagogue that the group claimed. Belgian police said two minors were arrested in connection with the Antwerp arson but had not been immediately questioned. In London the Metropolitan Police arrested two men, aged 45 and 47, on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life over the Golders Green ambulance attack; searches were conducted at two addresses. Counterterrorism Commander Helen Flanagan described the arrests as an important breakthrough but noted CCTV suggests at least three people were involved and the inquiry remained active.
The U.S. State Department urged Americans overseas to exercise increased caution and warned that groups supportive of Iran may target U.S. interests or locations associated with Americans. London police announced enhanced patrols and specialist deployments focused on vulnerable sites, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the arson as horrifying, pledging continued engagement with Jewish community leaders and action against antisemitism.
Belgium deployed military personnel to protect Jewish schools, synagogues and the Israeli Embassy under ‘‘Operation Green Shield’’ after a federal police request; the three-month mission began with about 100 troops and can be expanded. Italy has also maintained heightened security around prominent Jewish institutions. Europol said it is supporting cross-border police investigations but left preventive measures to national authorities.
Analysts warn that even unsophisticated attacks and crude propaganda can achieve strategic effects by sowing fear, disrupting communities and forcing authorities to reallocate resources. Whether Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia is a small local cell, an astroturfed brand linked to foreign networks, or an opportunistic claimant exploiting unrest remains unresolved. Investigations and arrests in the U.K., the Netherlands and Belgium are ongoing as authorities work to verify claims and trace any foreign connections.