Two Jewish men were stabbed in a suspected antisemitic terror attack in Golders Green, north London, with the suspect arrested after being Tasered by police officers
A suspected terrorist who knifed two Jewish men has a past of severe violence and mental health issues, according to Britain’s top police officer. Sir Mark Rowley informed reporters in Golders Green that two police officers who Tasered and apprehended the 45-year-old knife-wielding man believed he had a bomb when they confronted him on Wednesday.
Jewish leaders have demanded stricter measures against antisemitic violence following the double stabbing at around 11.15am, which has been classified as a terrorist attack.
Two men, aged 76 and 34, are in a stable state in hospital after being stabbed in Highfield Avenue, Golders Green, north London. Speaking outside Scotland Yard, head of counter terrorism policing Laurence Taylor stated: “This has now formally been declared a terrorist incident.
“Our highly specialised teams of officers are working with the Metropolitan Police to progress this investigation quickly and establish exactly what has happened.
“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.”
Alarming footage posted online seems to show a man at a bus stop donning a kippah before an attacker lunges at him.
Another video shows two police officers confronting the knife-wielding man in the middle of the road, before using a Taser and repeatedly kicking him in the head.
Sir Mark, who was met with calls to step down from members of the public as he addressed the situation at the scene, praised the officers as “nothing short of extraordinary”.
“They 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.
“These were not armed officers, and they feared that he was carrying an explosive device.
“Using only their training, their courage and their tasers, they managed to detain him while he continued to try and attack and stab them.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood vowed that the Government would “strain every sinew” to ensure the safety of Jewish people, and a Cobra meeting has been convened in the wake of the stabbing.
The location is roughly half a mile from a memorial wall where an attempted arson attack occurred on Monday and close to where four Jewish community ambulances were set ablaze in late March.
These incidents are among several alleged attacks on Jewish sites in London in recent weeks.
A synagogue in Manchester also fell victim to an attack in October last year, with worshippers Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz tragically losing their lives.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis stated: “Following the antisemitic stabbing of two Jewish people on the streets of Golders Green this morning, words of condemnation are no longer sufficient.
“This must be a moment that demands meaningful action from every institution, every community, every leader and every decent person in our country.
“This is a hatred that we must face down together.”
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also demanded and expects action to safeguard British Jews, who shadow home secretary Chris Philp claims are not being adequately protected.
A protest is being planned by the Campaign Against Antisemitism on Thursday evening outside Downing Street.
Police have stated they are working to determine the “nationality and background” of the attacker who struck on Wednesday.
A pizza shop worker on Golders Green Road recounted how he assisted the elderly stabbing victim after noticing him bleeding from his neck.
Tariq Aziz, an employee at pizza takeaway shop Slice, told the Press Association: “He came to our shop and then I gave him a tissue and helped him, and then police came suddenly and arrested the guy.”
He mentioned that the suspect “wasn’t running away” following the attack and when the police arrived, he pointed out the suspect as he was “just walking down there with a knife”.
Ben Grossnass, a volunteer with community security group Shomrim, informed PA: “We got a phone call to the hotline at 11.20am this morning, we were on the scene within a minute-and-a-half of the phone call.
“I saw a lot of shock in the street and the attacker was having CPR, I think he went into cardiac arrest after being tasered.
“There is a lot of hate in society and antisemitism.
“There are ways the Government can crack down on this and it is time they did that.”
Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Sir Keir revealed he had been informed about the incident prior to attending Prime Minister’s Questions.
He told MPs: “It is deeply concerning to everyone in this House.
“There is now a police investigation and I think we all need to do everything we can to support that investigation and be absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offences, the like of which we have seen too much recently.”
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy described the attack as horrific, adding: “No one should live in fear because of who they are.”