Authorities within the U.K. have said a stabbing attack on two Jewish men in north London is being treated as a terror incident and that they’re investigating whether the Jewish community was deliberately targeted, terrorism policing Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor confirmed from outside Scotland Yard, London’s police headquarters.
The stabbings took place in Golders Green, a London neighbourhood with a major Jewish population, on Wednesday morning.
The Metropolitan Police said the attack left two men, aged 34 and 76, hospitalized with knife wounds and that a 45-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The suspect has a history of “serious violence and mental health issues,” Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said on the scene, adding, “My first thoughts are with the 2 British Jews, who were attacked whilst going about their each day lives, which they need to have the opportunity to do freely and safely in their very own area people.”
“I also need to pay tribute to my officers, who were on the scene inside just a few minutes, and whose actions undoubtedly prevented further injury and saved lives,” he continued.
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Police said they’re investigating whether the stabbing was connected to a recent arson attack on several ambulances owned by the Jewish-run charity Hatzolah, also in Golders Green and on synagogues and other Jewish sites within the British capital.
“Our highly-specialized teams of officers are working with the Metropolitan Police to progress this investigation quickly and establish exactly what has happened,” Taylor said.
A person walks past a blocked road after two people were stabbed in Golders Green neighbourhood, which has a big Jewish community, in London, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
AP Photo/Kin Cheung
“Now, that community are strong, but they will probably be incredibly concerned to see and listen to what has happened today, particularly within the wake of other incidents in recent weeks. And that concern will probably be felt not only within the capital, but in communities and houses across the U.K.,” he added.
Politicians and Jewish leaders have condemned the violent incident.
“Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the attack was “appalling” and thanked emergency services for his or her swift response to the incident, including volunteers from Hatzolah and Shomrim, the previous being the ambulance service whose vehicles were set on fire in a previous antisemitic incident in Golders Green.
Shomrim is an independent, volunteer Jewish civilian patrol organization operating in major global cities, including London, Latest York and Toronto.
Shomrim said a suspect “was seen running along Golders Green Road armed with a knife and attempting to stab Jewish members of the general public.” It said the suspect was detained by Shomrim members and arrested by police, who used a stun gun on him.
In a statement on X, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said words of condemnation were now not enough and called for “meaningful motion from every institution, every community, every leader, and each decent person in our country.”
“This can be a hatred that we must face down together,” he concluded.
Wednesday’s stabbings follow a spate of attacks targeting Jewish sites in the realm, including an arson attempt on Finchley Reform Synagogue, in north London, the torching of ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity parked in Golders Green in March, an attack on a former Jewish charity constructing in Hendon, which neighbours Golders Green, and a bottle containing “some type of accelerant” being thrown at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, north west London earlier in April, the BBC reported.
— with files from The Associated Press
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