Investigation into mayor's Jewish ambulance X posts

Council chiefs are investigating after they received a complaint about their mayor reposting antisemitic conspiracies on social media.

Dr Bharat Pankhania, who is a Bath and North East Somerset (Banes) councillor and the mayor of Bath, apologised "unreservedly" for reposting the content on X, which called the burning of four ambulances run by a Jewish charity an "Israeli false flag operation". He has since deleted the posts.

The Liberal Democrats suspended him from the party for his actions on Thursday.

A Banes spokesperson has now confirmed the complaint will be investigated under the authority's standards procedure, adding: "All councillors are expected to follow a code of conduct."

In a previous statement, Pankhania said the posts which he interacted with "have never aligned" with his values and beliefs.

"I am incredibly apologetic that I have not lived up to the standards I set myself.

"I have of course deleted them and I wish to apologise unreservedly," he added.

The Metropolitan Police said on Thursday that two men who had been arrested in connection with the arson attack on the four Hatzola ambulances had been released on bail.

Hatzola - the Hebrew word for save or rescue - is a large non-profit, Jewish-led organisation that provides a free emergency medical response and transportation to hospitals by volunteer medics.

As well as north London, it also operates in Manchester, Gateshead, Canvey Island in Essex, and Hertfordshire, working in conjunction with local emergency services for the wider community, regardless of faith.

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