UK: 2 people stabbed in north London, suspect arrested

British police arrested a man after two people were stabbed in Golders Green, an area of north London with a large Jewish population. A Jewish community security organization said the wounded people were being treated.

Police in London arrested a man with a knife who had stabbed two Jewish members of the public on Wednesday.

"One male was seen running along Golders Green Road armed with a knife and attempting to stab Jewish members of the public," said the Jewish community organization Shomrim. "Shomrim responded immediately and detained the suspect. Police attended and deployed a taser. The male has now been arrested."

The group said that two people were wounded and were receiving treatment from volunteers. 

Police later said that the victims were in a stable condition and said they were investigating "all possible motives."

What did Prime Minister Keir Starmer tell parliament about the case? 

Asked about the incident in the House of Commons amid Wednesday's regular Prime Minister's Questions session, PM Keir Starmer called it "deeply concerning." 

"It is deeply concerning to everyone in this house," Starmer told lawmakers, saying he had been made aware of the incident before the session.

"There is now a police investigation, and I think we all need to do everything we can to support that investigation and be absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offenses, the like of which we've seen too much recently." 

There have been several suspected antisemitic crimes in the north London area, which has a large Jewish population, in recent weeks amid the outbreak of the war on Iran. They include  an arson attempt at a synagogue and another targeting ambulances. 

No one was injured in the arson incidents, which all happened within a few kilometers of each other. Several people, ranging in age from teens to people in their 40s, have been arrested and charged.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that "London’s Jewish community have been the target of a series of shocking antisemitic attacks" and that "there must be absolutely no place for antisemitism in society."

Israel: 'UK must act decisively and urgently'

Meanwhile, Israel's foreign ministry urged the British government to take swift action against antisemitism which it claimed was "festering" across the UK.

"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," the ministry wrote on social media.

"Enough words. The UK must act decisively and urgently," it added.

The UK's Jewish community

Britain's Jewish community is long-established but tiny as a percentage of the overall UK population, numbering about 300,000.

The northwest London suburb of Golders Green is one of its epicenters, home to kosher restaurants, multiple Jewish schools and several dozen synagogues, as well as sizeable Asian and Middle Eastern communities.

Edited by: Alex Berry