Suspect in stabbing of two Jewish men in London has 'history' of violence, mental health issues

LAST UPDATE | 3 hrs ago

A MAN SUSPECTED of stabbing two Jewish men in London has a “history” of violence and mental health issues, police say.

The man was arrested after he was seen running with a knife “attempting to stab Jewish members of the public”, the Shomrim Jewish neighbourhood watch said on social media.

The victims, one aged in his 70s and the other in his 30s, are in a stable condition in hospital after the attack, which happened shortly after 11am in Highfield Avenue.

The stabbing has been formally declared “a terrorist incident”, London police said, with officers investigating “whether this attack was deliberately targeting the Jewish community”.

“Our highly specialised teams of officers are working… to progress this investigation quickly and establish exactly what has happened,” said Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of counter-terrorism policing.

“We’re also working with our partners in the security services to ensure we have a full intelligence picture,” he added, noting “one of the lines of inquiry is whether this attack was deliberately targeting the Jewish community in London”.

The incident in the British capital took place in Golders Green, home to a large Jewish community.

At least 150 protesters marched down Golders Green Road this evening waving flags and chanting “IRGC terrorists, UK put them on the list” and “shame on Sadiq Khan”.

The attack comes in the wake of a spate of arson attacks on synagogues and community sites in north London in recent weeks.

It also follows a deadly attack on a synagogue in northern Manchester last October on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.

That attack killed two people and seriously injured three, prompting increased anxiety among Jewish communities.

Keir Starmer told lawmakers in parliament that a police investigation was underway. The prime minister is to visit Golders Green “as soon as possible”

“The antisemitic attack in Golders Green is utterly appalling. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain,” he added on X.

“Those responsible will be brought to justice,” he said.

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Arrest

Unverified footage postage on social media shows an older man putting on a kippah as he waits at a bus stop, before the attacker lunges at him.

A pizza shop worker on Golders Green Road said he helped the elderly stab victim after he saw him bleeding from his neck.

Tariq Aziz, who works at pizza takeaway shop Slice, told the Press Association: “He came to our shop and then I gave him a tissue and helped him, and then police came suddenly and arrest the guy.”

He said the suspect “wasn’t running away” after the attack and that when the police came, he pointed out the suspect as he was “just walking down there with a knife” and “the police arrest him”.

Police said they are working to establish the “nationality and background” of the attacker, and the investigation is being led by Counter Terrorism Policing.

‘Shocking antisemitic attacks’

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan described the attack “on two Jewish Londoners” as “appalling”.

“London’s Jewish community have been the target of a series of shocking antisemitic attacks. There must be absolutely no place for antisemitism in society,” he said on X.

The first London attack in late March saw four ambulances belonging to Hatzola set ablaze.

Other incidents have followed, including an attack on the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow as well as the premises of a Jewish charity.

Last week, the Finchley Reform Synagogue was targeted.

“We stand with the Jewish community and we must root out this hatred,” said deputy prime minister David Lammy.

Police have arrested 26 people for the various attacks, launched since the start of the US-Iran war on Iran on 28 February.

Many of the incidents have been claimed by a little-known group, believed to be linked to Iran, called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), meaning The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand.

Monitoring groups have reported an upsurge in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in Britain, particularly since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 instances of anti-Jewish hate across the UK last year, a four percent rise on 2024, but down on 2023.

With reporting by the Press Association