Essa Suleiman Stabs Two Jewish Men in Golders Green, UK Terror Threat Escalates

A knife attack in Golders Green, north London, injured two Jewish men and triggered a terrorism investigation and a rapid escalation of the UK threat level, according to multiple reports.

“- Published For the first time in his life, Derek has decided to conceal his Jewish skullcap - known as a kippah - when out in public”

BBC

The Independent said the Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley warned British Jews were facing a “ghastly Venn diagram” of hate after the Golders Green stabbing, in which “two Jewish men were injured.”

BBC

NPR reported that Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government “will do everything in our power to stamp this hatred out” after the stabbing of “two Jewish men, ages 34 and 76,” and that both men were in “a stable condition.”

BFM described the incident as a knife attack in Golders Green in which “Two people were wounded,” and said police intervened at “11:16 a.m.” and that the suspect was “neutralized with a taser before being arrested.”

Ouest-France similarly said the attack on April 29 left “Two people were injured” and that the suspect was arrested, while Radio France reported that the attack occurred on “Wednesday morning” in Golders Green and that a man was subdued with a taser.

The suspect was identified as 45-year-old Essa Suleiman in The Independent and The Jerusalem Post, and NPR described him as a 45-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The Jerusalem Post added that on the morning of the attack police were called to an incident at an address in Great Dover Street, where Suleiman had attempted to murder his friend, Ishmail Hussein, receiving “minor injuries.”

After the Golders Green stabbing, the UK government raised the national terrorism threat level to “severe,” with multiple outlets tying the change to the attack and to broader security concerns.

NPR said the threat level was raised from “substantial to severe” after Wednesday’s stabbing, and that severe means intelligence agencies consider an attack “highly likely in the next six months.”

BFM

The Independent likewise said the UK terrorism threat level was raised to “severe” by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, meaning a terror attack is “highly likely,” following the Golders Green attack.

And اندبندنت عربية reported that officials said the classification came after “a string of recent attacks in London” and growing security concerns linked to foreign countries, and that the Joint Terror Analysis Centre made the decision independently.

The Independent also reported that the suspect Essa Suleiman appeared in court on Friday charged with “three counts of attempted murder,” including of his own friend before allegedly stabbing two Jewish men, Shloime Rand, 34, and Norman Shine, 76, and that he was remanded in custody until the next hearing at the Old Bailey on May 15.

NPR said detectives were working to determine a motive and whether there was any link to Iranian proxies, and that police called the stabbing attack “an act of terrorism.”

BFM and DW both described the immediate operational response: BFM said specialist officers from the counterterrorism brigade were leading an investigation, and DW said police arrived and used a stun gun to subdue the suspect.

Several outlets placed the suspect’s background at the center of the investigation, describing prior violence and prior contact with the UK’s Prevent anti-extremism program.

“United Kingdom: Suspect in attack on two Jewish men charged and brought before a judge; information provided by AFP on May 1, 2026 at 13:39”

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The Independent said the suspect Essa Suleiman “was born in Somalia and came to the UK legally as a child in the 1990s,” and it reported that he was charged with attempted murder and remanded until May 15 at the Old Bailey.

NPR said the suspect had “a history of serious violence and mental health issues,” and that in 2020 he was referred to the government’s Prevent program, with police saying the file was closed later the same year.

The Jerusalem Post added more detail, saying Suleiman was known to the government’s terror Prevent program and was previously jailed for armed assaults, and it reported that he had been reported to Prevent in 2020 but “the case was later closed.”

It further stated that in December 2008 Suleiman was jailed for “9 years” for stabbing “two policemen and a police German Shepherd dog,” and it quoted Judge Douglas Field describing “three episodes of grave violence.”

The Jerusalem Post also said that at the time of the 2008 attack Suleiman was working as a security guard at a Swindon primary school.

NPR and The Independent both described the immediate aftermath as involving police and volunteers, with The Independent saying Sir Mark Rowley defended the two officers who detained the suspect and that footage showed officers appeared to “kick the 45-year-old suspect in the head after they had used a Taser.”

The stabbing also triggered a political and policing dispute that unfolded in parallel with the security response, with senior figures defending police actions while facing criticism from political opponents.

The Independent reported that Sir Mark Rowley, in an interview with the Times, warned antisemitism was “becoming more and more mainstreamed,” and it quoted him saying “Every racist or extremist or terrorist group has a list of people they hate.”

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It also said Rowley requested urgent funding to recruit “300 officers” to protect the Jewish community, with plans for a dedicated group of police to patrol north west London.

The Independent further described how Rowley and Prime Minister Keir Starmer were “both highly critical of Green Party leader Zack Polanski” after Polanski shared a social media post accusing the officers who detained the suspect of acting “violently.”

The Independent quoted Starmer defending the officers, saying: “There’s a guy on the ground, he’s got a rucksack on. And I don’t know what was going through the mind of those officers, but if I was there, I’d be thinking, he’s going to detonate something. He’s going to blow me up and everybody around here.”

NPR and DW both showed Starmer’s broader messaging, with NPR quoting him saying “will do everything in our power to stamp this hatred out” and DW quoting him telling MPs, “We all must be absolutely clear in our resolve to deal with every one of these crimes, which we have seen a lot of lately.”

NPR also reported Starmer was heckled by about “100 protesters” holding signs saying “Keir Starmer, Jew harmer” when he visited Golders Green.

Beyond policing and court, the attack reverberated through community networks and raised questions about how to sustain cohesion while security measures expand.

“Two people were injured on Wednesday (April 29, 2026) by a stabbing in the Golders Green area of north London, a neighborhood with a large Jewish population”

DW

The Guardian reported that Laura Marks, co-founder of Nisa-Nashim, said “I feel punch drunk,” and described the Golders Green stabbing as “relentless,” adding that “Every day it feels like there is something else.”

DW

Marks said she did not intend to give up, telling the paper: “I’m an optimist. If I don’t believe I can make things a bit better, then what am I doing? But it is difficult.”

She also framed the immediate priority as safety, saying: “Right now, all people [in the Jewish community] can hear is walls, police, security,” and she argued that “long term we can’t live behind walls. We have to build bridges.”

The Guardian reported that Mohammed Amin, co-chair of the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester, said he felt “horror and dismay” and quoted him saying, “People get to know each other. We have seen real friendships emerge.”

NPR and The Independent tied the government’s response to increased protection and legal action, with NPR saying the government announced “25 million pounds ($34 million) for more police patrols and protection around synagogues, schools and community,” and the Independent reporting Rowley requested urgent funding to recruit “300 officers.”

Meanwhile, the Guardian described how the Gaza crisis had made the work harder, saying “support for Nisa-Nashim waned” and that volunteers were put off by “online abuse or extremist threats.”