LONDON – Two Jewish men were wounded in stabbings in north London on Wednesday, with police investigating the incident as terrorism after a series of antisemitic attacks in recent weeks.
King Charles III and Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the late morning assaults in Golders Green, which is home to a large Jewish population.
Police said a man (45) – a British national born in Somalia – was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The two victims (76 and 34) were in stable condition in hospital. The suspect, who also tried to stab police officers, was detained after initially being taken to hospital but discharged.
London’s Metropolitan Police said he is believed to have been involved in another incident on Wednesday morning in southeast London in which one person suffered minor injuries.
In Golders Green, Met commissioner Mark Rowley, who faced shouts from hecklers, said the suspect had a history of serious violence and mental health issues.
A group believed to be linked to Iran claimed responsibility for the stabbings through online posts, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.
Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya made the uncorroborated claim in a video posted online, according to SITE.
Emergency meeting
Local resident Moshie (20) told AFP he had been shocked by the incident and said he felt like violence was escalating.
Starmer convened an emergency meeting of senior ministers and officials, telling broadcasters later he would meet Thursday with criminal justice agencies to ensure effective and swift justice.
The government is taking action in relation to security, cohesion and extremism, he added.
King Charles III, who is on a state visit to the United States, said he was deeply concerned in a statement issued by Buckingham Palace.
The stabbings follow arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites in north London in recent weeks that have heightened security fears.
After attacks on synagogues, Jewish institutions, community ambulances and now Jews targeted in Golders Green, the UK government can no longer claim this is under control, Israel’s foreign ministry said.
Attack details
The incident unfolded shortly after 11:00 when the Shomrim Jewish neighbourhood watch group first reported that a knife-wielding man was attempting to stab Jewish members of the public.
Shomrim members helped detain the suspect before police arrived and subdued him using an electroshock weapon. The response of the Jewish volunteers earned widespread praise.
The victims were also treated at the scene by Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer ambulance service.
The stabbings follow a deadly assault on a synagogue in Manchester last October on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur that killed two people and seriously injured three.
Why do we have to live in fear? We’re doing our best to live our lives as normal as possible, but every day is a struggle, Shomrim volunteer Steven Bak told AFP.
About 150 people protested late Wednesday near the site of the attack and were addressed by Richard Tice, the deputy leader of anti-immigrant party Reform UK.
Ephraim Mirvis, Britain’s chief rabbi, told reporters the community was strong and resilient but such attacks need to stop now.
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Zero tolerance – that’s what our community wants, he said.
Recent attacks
The first London attack in late March saw four Hatzola ambulances set ablaze.
Other incidents include an attack on a synagogue in Kenton, northwest London, and the premises of a Jewish charity. Another synagogue in Finchley, north London, was targeted last week.
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Police have arrested 28 people in total over the various attacks – including Wednesday’s – since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran on 28 February.
The group has claimed responsibility for many of them, and similar incidents across Europe.
Monitoring groups have reported a surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in Britain, particularly since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
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