A 45-year-old man has been charged in connection with the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, north London, authorities said. The attacks occurred on Wednesday and left a 34-year-old and a 76-year-old injured; one victim has since been discharged from hospital while the other remains in stable condition.
The suspect, named as Essa S., a Somalia-born British citizen living in London, is due to appear in court. He faces two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place linked to the Golders Green incident. He is also charged with a third count of attempted murder over an earlier incident elsewhere in the city that left a man with minor injuries.
The Metropolitan Police have treated the Golders Green stabbings as an act of terrorism. In response, the UK government raised the national terrorism threat level to the second-highest tier, meaning officials assess a terrorist attack is highly likely within the next six months. Metropolitan Police chief Mark Rowley described the episode as “another horrendous act of violence directed against our Jewish communities.”
Police said the suspect had previously been referred to Prevent, the government programme intended to stop radicalisation, but that his case file was later closed. The stabbings come amid a series of recent attacks on London’s Jewish community, including several arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged increased security for the Jewish community and vowed authorities would “do everything in our power to stamp this hatred out.” London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the community “have been the target of a series of shocking antisemitic attacks” and that “there must be absolutely no place for antisemitism in society.”
Edited by: Alex Berry