Two men were stabbed on Wednesday in the north London area of Golders Green, a hub of Jewish life in Britain, in an attack that the police said was being treated as terrorism.
The attack, which unfolded in late morning on High Field Avenue, left the men — one in his 70s and one in his 30s — with stab injuries. Both were taken to a hospital and are in a stable condition, the police said in a statement.
A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, and counterterrorism police are leading the investigation, the police said, adding that they were working with the security services “to ensure we have a full intelligence picture.”
The stabbing came at a time of heightened anxiety for Jewish communities across Europe, after several antisemitic attacks. In October, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, a man who the police said had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State attacked a synagogue in Manchester, in northern England.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Wednesday’s incident an “antisemitic attack.”
The suspect attempted to stab police officers and was hit with a Taser weapon before he was arrested, the police said. They added that they were “working to establish his nationality and background.” Speaking at a news conference later in the day, Mark Rowley, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said that the suspect had a “history of serious violence and mental health issues.”
The Golders Green neighborhood is in a part of north London that is home to just over half of Britain’s 300,000-strong Jewish community. By Wednesday afternoon, there was a heavy police presence in the area. People stepped out of kosher restaurants and looked uneasily skyward at a helicopter still circling overhead.
Shomrim, a volunteer-run Jewish charity that runs civilian security patrols in the area, said in a statement on social media earlier on Wednesday that one man “was seen running along Golders Green Road armed with a knife and attempting to stab Jewish members of the public.”
The charity said the two people who had been stabbed were treated by Hatzola, a Jewish medical charity. Hatzola was targeted with an arson attack on its ambulances last month that caused a million pounds, or roughly $1.35 million, of damage. Three young men and a 17-year-old boy have been charged with arson in that case.
On Wednesday, young men in Orthodox dress milled around just outside the police tape. The stretch of road where the stabbing took place is home to one of London’s most beloved kosher supermarkets, Kosher Kingdom, which was blocked off behind the cordon. Observant Jews drive for hours to shop here, stocking up on Kosher meat if none is available near their homes.
Security had already been increased across the Jewish community in London, with additional police officers, private security and volunteer groups all involved in aiming to ensure safety.
In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, a spokesman for King Charles, who is currently on a state visit to the United States, said the king was “naturally deeply concerned, in particular about the impact for the Jewish community. 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.”
Luke Williams, detective chief superintendent of the Metropolitan Police, who leads policing in the area, said officials “are aware of the significant distress and concern this incident is likely to cause in the face of a number of incidents in the local area. A suspect is in custody, and investigators are considering all possible motives.”
“Officers will remain at the scene for some time to carry out further enquiries, speak to local people and offer reassurance,” he added.
Hours after the stabbing, a shadowy online Islamist group, calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, claimed responsibility for the attack, in a video shared on the Telegram messaging app. The group claimed, without providing evidence, that the attack had been perpetrated by one of “our lone wolves.” It had previously claimed responsibility for a series of arson attacks against Jewish and American targets across Europe that began on March 9. British authorities have not confirmed that it played a role in the stabbing on Wednesday.
Investigators are trying to determine whether the group has any links to Iran or its proxies, as its initial claims of responsibility were posted on Telegram and X channels that are either affiliated with Iraqi pro-Iranian Shia militias or supportive of the Iranian armed forces and proxies. But the police and security officials have so far stopped short of directly linking the group to Iran.
The earlier arson attacks had caused no injuries but had created fear and distress among Jewish people in the areas affected.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement posted to social media, “The antisemitic attack in Golders Green is utterly appalling.
“Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain,” he wrote. “Those responsible will be brought to justice.”