London (Somalia Today) — Two Jewish men were stabbed in north London on Wednesday in what police declared a “terrorist incident”, deepening alarm in one of Britain’s largest Jewish communities after weeks of attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites.
The attack happened shortly after 11:00 am in Golders Green, an area with a large Jewish population. Police said the victims, aged 76 and 34, were taken to the hospital in a stable condition.
Police arrested a 45-year-old man at the scene after he also tried to stab officers, the Metropolitan Police said. Officers used an electroshock weapon to subdue him. No police officers were injured.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said the suspect had “a history of serious violence and mental health issues”, but police later confirmed that counter-terrorism officers were leading the investigation.
“Let me be clear: this is an attack on one community, and an attack on one community is an attack on all London’s communities,” Rowley said at the scene, where some residents heckled him and accused authorities of failing to protect Jewish people.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, said police had “now formally” declared the stabbings a terrorist incident.
“One of the lines of enquiry is whether this attack was deliberately targeting the Jewish community,” he said, adding that police were working with the security services to build “a full intelligence picture”.
‘Attacks on Britain’
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the assault, calling it “deeply concerning” and vowing that those responsible would face justice.
“Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain,” Starmer said on X.
Sarah Sackman, the MP for the area, said Starmer would convene an emergency meeting of senior ministers and officials later Wednesday.
King Charles III, who is on a state visit to the United States, said through Buckingham Palace that he was “deeply concerned” by the attack.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan called the incident “appalling” and described the recent wave of antisemitic attacks as “shocking”.
“There must be absolutely no place for antisemitism in society,” Khan said.
The Israeli foreign ministry sharply criticised Starmer’s government after the attack, saying Britain could no longer claim it had the situation under control.
“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,” it said on X.
Jewish volunteers praised
The Shomrim Jewish neighbourhood watch group said its members first reported that a knife-wielding man was “attempting to stab Jewish members of the public”.
Shomrim volunteers helped detain the suspect before police arrived, drawing praise from political leaders and local residents.
The two wounded men received treatment at the scene from Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer ambulance service whose vehicles were targeted in an arson attack in late March.
“Why do we have to live in fear?” Shomrim volunteer Stephen Bak told AFP at the scene.
“We’re doing our best to live our lives as normally as possible, but every day is a struggle.”
Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the Jewish community remained “strong” and “resilient”, but warned that sympathy was no longer enough.
“Zero tolerance — that’s what our community wants,” he told reporters.
“Our society needs to know this is intolerable. We would like to see actions added to words.”
A community on edge
The stabbings came after a series of suspected antisemitic attacks in north London that have intensified security fears among British Jews.
In late March, attackers set fire to four ambulances belonging to Hatzola. Other incidents followed, including attacks on Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, the premises of a Jewish charity and Finchley Reform Synagogue.
A memorial in Golders Green for victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel was also targeted in an arson attack a day before Wednesday’s stabbings.
Police have arrested at least 26 people in connection with the recent attacks, which began after the United States and Israel struck Iran on February 28.
Investigators are examining whether some of the attacks have links to Iran.
Several incidents have been claimed by a little-known group believed to have pro-Iranian links, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, meaning the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand.
Police have not publicly linked Wednesday’s stabbing to that group.
The violence follows the deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester last October on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Two people were killed and three others seriously injured, further heightening anxiety among Jewish communities across Britain.
The Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents across Britain last year, a four-per-cent rise on 2024, though below the record level seen in 2023.
For many in Golders Green, Wednesday’s attack reinforced the fear that ordinary Jewish life in Britain has become more exposed.
As police increased patrols around Jewish sites, community leaders urged the government to move beyond statements of condemnation and deliver stronger protection.
“Our community is resilient,” Mirvis said. “But such attacks need to stop now.”
