Two Jewish men stabbed in Golders Green terror attack

Two Jewish men have been stabbed in Golders Green, north London, in an attack police have declared as a terrorist incident. The men, one in his 70s and another in his 30s, remain in a stable condition in hospital. A 45-year-old man has been arrested. It comes after a spate of arson attacks against Jewish property in London in recent weeks.

The Metropolitan Police said its officers responded at 11:16 BST on Wednesday after receiving reports that people had been stabbed in Highfield Avenue, which runs off Golders Green Road. The suspect is first seen on CCTV footage taken on Highfield Avenue, timestamped at 11:15 BST. He is jogging along the pavement towards Golders Green Road when he appears to attack a man, who he chases out of view.

Another clip, filmed from a car driving north along Golders Green Road, shows the suspect chasing after a man on the pavement. More CCTV footage - timestamped to 11:20 BST - shows the suspect approaching a bus stop and repeatedly attacking a man waiting there, who he then pushes on to the road and out of view.

Multiple videos and images of the suspect being detained by police have been verified by the BBC. One officer Tasers him, sending the suspect to the floor. Police can then be seen administering CPR and later footage shows the suspect being lifted on a stretcher into an ambulance.

The Metropolitan Police released footage from the body-worn cameras of the responding officers. The clip appears to show the suspect walking towards the officers before the Taser is deployed. Officers can be heard yelling "drop the knife" repeatedly before the suspect falls to the ground. They continue to repeat the instruction while the suspect is on the ground and as they work to restrain him.

The two Jewish men stabbed in the attack have been named locally as Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76. They were treated at the scene and remain in a stable condition in hospital. Rabbi Levi Schapiro from the Jewish Community Council, visited both of the men in hospital on Wednesday. He said Moshe's injuries were more serious but doctors were "optimistic" that he would make a full recovery.

A friend, who asked not to be named, described Moshe as a "very nice, quiet, honest person". Shloime's mother, who asked not to be named, told the BBC: "He's in a stable condition. As a mother, I'm pretty horrified that these things could happen in the streets of London, in an innocent community where we try our best not to hurt anyone.

"Shloime was walking on the street minding his own business. I was able to see him yesterday. Thank God, he was conscious the whole time." She added that the family hoped he would be home for the Sabbath on Friday evening.

Rabbi Schapiro added: "He's a living miracle. He could easily have died because of where his wounds were."

A man, aged 45, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Police say he is a British national, born in Somalia. He came to the UK "lawfully as a child" from Somalia, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told BBC Breakfast. He was initially taken to hospital but later discharged and taken to a London police station where he remains in custody.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said officers "confronted a man they believed to be a terrorist, who refused to show his hands, who was violent and continued to pose a clear threat". He added that officers feared the suspect was carrying an explosive device and Tasered him while he continued to try to attack and stab them.

Sir Mark said: "We're also working with our partners in the security services to ensure we have a full intelligence picture and one of the lines of inquiry is whether this attack was deliberately targeting the Jewish community in London."

The suspect had a history of serious violence and mental health issues, he added in a statement at the scene on Wednesday afternoon.

The Met later said officers also carried out a search at an address in south-east London, where detectives were investigating an incident that was reported to police and is believed that the suspect is the same individual arrested in Golders Green. The Met said police were called at approximately 08:50 BST to an address in Great Dover Street, in the Borough area of Southwark, where a "suspect who is reported to have been armed with a knife, is believed to have had an altercation with the occupant before leaving".

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, who represents Britain's largest Jewish community, said: "I'm sad to say that today's event proves that if you are visibly Jewish you're not safe and far more needs to be done...

"It's a sustained effort to terrorise the Jewish community, which will not succeed, because we're a strong and resilient community. We face these kind of attacks and these incidents with great fortitude. However, this cannot be allowed to continue."

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was "angry", "appalled" and "disgusted" that Jewish people were "living their lives frightened". King Charles III was "naturally deeply concerned" by the attack, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said. "His thoughts and prayers are with the two individuals who were injured and offers his heartfelt gratitude to those who so selflessly rushed to their aid," they added.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the attack was "utterly appalling", adding: "Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain."

Jonathan Hall KC told the BBC's The World Tonight: "There are Brits in London in particular, Manchester, but probably all around the country, who are now thinking they cannot live a normal life. And it's not one attack, it's multiple attacks."

Mahmood added that she would personally never hesitate to say or do what she must as home secretary, but also as a Muslim, to stamp out antisemitism. "This land is their land, it is my land too, we share this land and we must all work together to keep each other safe," she says.

The government has announced an extra £25m in funding for increased police patrols and security in Jewish communities after Wednesday's attack in Golders Green. It says the funding will also be used to put further protections in place around synagogues, schools and community centres.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp, who was minister for crime and policing from 2022 to 2024, told BBC Breakfast the UK also "urgently" needs more police patrolling Jewish communities to deal with a "relentless increase" in attacks.