British police have said they had arrested two men over a London arson attack on four volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation, AFP reports.

The arrests 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”.

Police earlier said the attack was being treated “as an anti-Semitic hate crime”.