Two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green on Wednesday in an attack now being investigated as terrorism, according to Counter Terrorism Policing and the Metropolitan Police. The victims, aged 76 and 34, were taken to the hospital and are in stable condition, police said.
Police said officers were called to Highfield Avenue at 11:16 a.m. after reports that people had been stabbed. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after being Tasered by officers, who said he also tried to stab police at the scene.
Counter Terrorism Policing said the case has now been formally declared a terrorist incident and that specialist officers are leading the investigation, according to CNN.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said detectives are working to establish exactly what happened and whether the Jewish community was deliberately targeted.
The Met has identified the suspect as a 45-year-old British national born in Somalia. Police also said the man had a history of serious violence and mental health issues, though investigators have not released a motive, Perspective Media reported.
Jewish volunteer security group Shomrim said its members were among the first to respond and helped detain the suspect before police arrived. The group said the attacker had been seen running along Golders Green Road with a knife and attempting to stab members of the public.
The attack comes amid heightened concern in London over antisemitic incidents and follows recent arson attacks on Jewish community property in the area, including the March 23 fire that destroyed or badly damaged four Hatzola ambulances parked at a synagogue in Golders Green and left the local Jewish community shaken.
Police and counterterrorism investigators have also been examining whether a series of other fires and attacks targeting Jewish locations across London are linked, although no direct connection has been confirmed in this case, as per the BBC.
Originally published on Lawyer Herald
