British man charged in Golders Green, Southwark stabbings
by Darryl Coote · UPIMay 1 (UPI) -- Authorities in Britain on Friday charged a 45-year-old man with attempted murder in the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green and a third, previously undisclosed, victim in Southwark.
London's Metropolitan Police announced the three counts of attempted murder against Essa Suleiman in a statement. The Somalia-born British national also faces an additional count of possession of a bladed article in a public place stemming from the Golders Green attack.
"We are determined to get justice for the victims and now that a person has been charged, I would urge everyone to avoid any further speculation in relation to this case so that justice can run its course," Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said.
Authorities accuse Suleiman of stabbing the two Jewish men, ages 76 and 34, in north London's Golders Green neighborhood before noon Wednesday, and a third person about two hours earlier.
According to the statement from the Metropolitan Police, Suleiman is accused of attacking an unidentified person at a Great Dover Street residence at about 8:50 a.m. local time.
The stabbing is believed to have followed an altercation between the two. The victim suffered minor injuries, according to police, with officers arriving on the scene within minutes of the incident but being unable to locate the attacker.
The attack in Golders Green is the latest in a string of crimes targeting Britain's Jewish community in recent weeks that have included arson attacks targeting synagogues and Jewish-linked sites. On Thursday, Britain's Joint Terrorism Analysis Center raised the national threat level to its second highest severe, meaning an attack is highly likely in the next six months.
"As the threat level rises, I urge everyone to be vigilant as they go about their daily lives, and report any concerns they have to the police," Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a statement.
"And I can assure everyone that our world-class security services and the police are working day and night to keep our country safe."
The threat level was raised from substantial to severe following the Golders Green incident.
Unverified video of the attack shared online appears to show a man walking down the street before lunging at another man near a bus stop and frantically stabbing him with what appears to be a knife.
Metropolitan Police footage published on YouTube, captured by officers' body-worn cameras, shows a man who appears to be the same person in the unverified video walking toward officers, who have Tasers raised.
After repeated commands from police to drop the knife, officers discharged their Tasers, dropping the man to the ground. A violent struggle then ensued as the officers tried to remove the knife from the man's hand.
"Drop the knife!" one officer repeatedly screams.
As handcuffs are placed on the prone man, a second officer is heard stating, "Mate, you are arrested on suspicion of attempted murder."
There have been at least six separate attacks in London since March 23, when four ambulances used by the Jewish community in Golders Green were set a blaze. Five of the incidents involved arson, while the sixth was Wednesday's stabbing.
Metropolitan Police said Friday that 28 arrests have been made since that incident, resulting in eight people being charged with arson-related offenses and one person being convicted of arson.
The surge in violence comes amid the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
British counterterrorism authorities have previously said they are investigating potential links between the attacks and Iran-aligned Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia -- or the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right in English -- which has claimed responsibility for some of the incidents and others elsewhere in Europe.
Iran's Embassy in Britain has rejected the accusations.
"The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejects any allegations or link of Iran's involvement in violent activities or incidents in the United Kingdom," it said in a social media statement on Thursday.
"Such baseless accusations against Islamic Republic of Iran, lack credible evidence and appear to serve narrow political agendas and to mislead public opinion and distract from the real root causes of terrorism and violent extremism."