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Two Jewish Men Stabbed in North London
Two Jewish men were stabbed in London in an attack declared terrorism by the Metropolitan Police, prompting heightened concerns over rising antisemitic violence.
Body camera footage showing the arrest. Photograph: Metropolitan Police/PA
A 76-year-old man was standing at a bus stop adjusting his kippah. Then someone shoved him into a sign and stabbed him repeatedly.
It was 11 in the morning. In broad daylight. In north London.
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The Metropolitan Police have officially classified what happened in Golders Green on Wednesday as a terrorist incident. Two Jewish men were stabbed. Both were hospitalized. Both are in stable condition.
The suspect, a 45-year-old British national born in Somalia, was arrested at the scene. Volunteers from the local Jewish security group Shomrim restrained him until police arrived. Officers later used a taser to detain him after he approached them.
He had already attacked someone else that morning.
Detectives are investigating a separate stabbing in southeast London earlier the same day where a local resident was injured. Police believe the same suspect carried out both attacks.
London Police Commissioner Mark Rowley confirmed the suspect has a background involving serious violence and mental health issues. Counterterrorism officers are now leading the investigation, examining whether the victims were targeted specifically because they were Jewish.
That question is not hard to answer when you look at what has been happening in this city.
If you have followed this far, here is the wider picture that makes Wednesday impossible to dismiss as an isolated incident.
In recent weeks, arson attacks have hit Jewish community facilities across London. Ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in Golders Green were targeted. A synagogue was attacked. A former Jewish charity building was set on fire. A memorial wall nearby was damaged in a suspected arson earlier this week.
Wednesday's stabbing did not happen in a vacuum. It happened in the middle of a pattern.
David Meyer, head of the Jewish education organization PaJeS, said the repeated incidents have created genuine fear within the community. Local resident Avi Yodaiken said people no longer feel safe doing ordinary things. Going to synagogue. Standing at a bus stop.
Commissioner Rowley acknowledged an increase in racist and antisemitic crimes across the city and said some incidents may be linked to foreign actors. Police have deployed thousands of additional officers in response, made 28 arrests connected to recent incidents and charged eight individuals.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack and called for firm action. King Charles, informed during his visit to the United States, expressed concern for the victims. Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged the UK government to act immediately to prevent further attacks on Jewish communities.
The response from officials has been strong in words. The community is watching to see if it is held in practice.
Golders Green is one of the most recognizable Jewish neighborhoods in the UK. An attack there, in daylight, at a bus stop, on a man adjusting his kippah, is not random. It is a message.
The Metropolitan Police have called it terrorism. The community has been living it for weeks.
Editor's Note: The attack in London underscores growing concerns over rising antisemitic violence, as authorities including the Metropolitan Police intensify efforts to address hate crimes and protect vulnerable communities.
