UK Declares Antisemitism Emergency After London Double Stabbing of Jewish Men

Britain’s government declared an antisemitism “emergency” after police investigated a double stabbing of two Jewish men in London’s Golders Green area on Wednesday, with the attack occurring in broad daylight and leaving both victims seriously injured.

“Author: Lucy Manning and Michael Shields McNamamy Reading time: 4 minutes British police are investigating a possible Iranian-linked connection in an arson attack targeting ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity”

BBC

The Washington Post reported that the British government pledged “25 million pounds ($34 million) for more police patrols and protection around synagogues, schools and community centers” after the stabbing of two Jewish men aged 34 and 76.

BBC

CBS News said the announcement was made by State Security Minister Dan Jarvis on Times Radio, and that the victims were Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76, in “stable condition” while still being treated on Thursday.

CBS News also quoted Home Secretary Minister Shabana Mahmood saying, “I am treating this as an emergency,” and described the incident as being investigated as terrorism.

The BBC reported that counter-terrorism officers were leading the investigation into the stabbing and that police were pursuing lines of inquiry, including an online claim of responsibility by an Islamist group that has claimed other attacks in Europe.

In parallel, the BBC said the suspect taken into custody in Wednesday’s knife attack was a “45 year-old man” who came to the U.K. “lawfully as a child” from Somalia, and that authorities could hold him for up to 96 hours with a judge’s permission before he must be formally charged or released.

The Washington Post placed the attack in Golders Green, “an area in north London that is an epicenter of Britain’s Jewish community,” and said both men were in a stable condition.

The government’s response centered on new security funding and additional police protection for Jewish institutions, with multiple outlets describing both the amount and how it would be used.

CBS News said the “new funding from the national government will be spent on additional police patrols and protection around synagogues, community centers and schools,” and that legislation to put the measures in place would be “fast-tracked” over the next few weeks.

CBS News

The Washington Post similarly tied the pledge to increased security for Jewish communities, stating that the government “pledged funding to increase security for Jewish communities after an attack on two Jewish men on Wednesday.”

The South China Morning Post described the same package as “£25 million (US$34 million) for more police patrols and protection around synagogues, schools and community centres,” and said it followed “a string of arson attacks and a double stabbing.”

The BBC added operational details beyond the funding pledge, reporting that London police disclosed “the deployment of 264 additional officers to protect the Jewish community in London, alongside clearly visible armed patrols.”

The BBC also said counter-terrorism officers were leading the investigation and that police were pursuing all lines of inquiry, including an online claim of responsibility by an Islamist group.

In the same reporting, BBC Commissioner Mark Rowley said the suspect had a “history of serious violence and mental health issues,” and described the threat environment as dangerous while noting it was “far too early” to link a separate arson attack to Tehran.

Police and government officials described both the investigative posture and the suspect’s background as they pursued possible connections to broader threat patterns.

“Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) CEO Sacha Roytman issued the following statement on Wednesday following the antisemitic stabbing attack in London’s Golders Green neighborhood: “This is not random violence”

Combat Antisemitism Movement

CBS News said counterterrorism officers with the London Metropolitan Police were investigating Wednesday’s stabbing to determine whether there were “any links to a recent string of antisemitic attacks around synagogues and in Jewish areas of the city,” including “several previous incidents in Golders Green.”

It reported that the suspect taken into custody was “a 45 year-old man,” and that Home Secretary Minister Shabana Mahmood told BBC News that he came to the U.K. “lawfully as a child” from Somalia.

CBS News also quoted Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley saying the suspect had a “history of serious violence and mental health issues,” and said the suspect remained in police custody Thursday with authorities able to hold him for up to 96 hours with a judge’s permission.

The Washington Post framed the government’s stance as an antisemitism “emergency” and said the funding was pledged after the attack on two Jewish men in Golders Green.

The BBC, in a separate but related report, said police were investigating a possible Iranian link to an arson attack targeting ambulances belonging to the Jewish charity Hatzolah, and that Rowley said the “rapid rise” in state-linked threats in recent years is “dangerous,” while adding it was “far too early” to link the attack to Tehran.

The BBC further described Rowley’s comments at the annual dinner of the Community Security Trust, saying the Jewish community has become “an increasingly frequent target of individuals, groups and states hostile to it.”

Reactions to the stabbing and the broader antisemitism threat were voiced by both family members and advocacy groups, while other reporting tied the violence to claims by groups seeking to frame responsibility.

CBS News included the mother of the younger victim, Shloime Rand, saying she was “pretty horrified that these things could happen on the streets of London, in an innocent community where we try our best not to hurt anyone.”

South China Morning Post

She added, “Shloime was walking on the street minding his own business. I was able to see him yesterday. Thank God, he was conscious the whole time. We hope he will be home before Shabbat,” as she referred to Jewish day of rest beginning Friday evening.

The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) issued a statement from its CEO Sacha Roytman describing the attack as “open season on Jews,” and said, “When a man hunts for Jews in the streets of London, knife in hand, we are witnessing the normalization of antisemitic terror in the UK.”

CAM demanded “urgent action” and asked, “how much blood must be shed before real action to stop this wave of terror is taken?”

The BBC reported that police were pursuing an online claim of responsibility by an Islamist group that has claimed other attacks in Europe and “may have links to the Iranian state,” and said the incident was being treated as an anti-Semitic hate crime rather than a terrorist incident in the ambulance arson case.

It also said a group calling itself the “Islamic Right-Wing Movement,” linked to Iran, claimed responsibility for the ambulance attack via its Telegram channel “without providing evidence.”

The reporting connected the stabbing and related attacks to a wider pattern of antisemitic incidents and state-linked threats, while also laying out what authorities said they would do next.

“Democracy Dies in Darkness By Jill Lawless | AP LONDON — The British government on Thursday said the country was facing an antisemitism “emergency” and pledged funding to increase security for Jewish communities after a It announced 25 million pounds ($34 million) for more police patrols and protection around synagogues, schools and community centers after an attack on two Jewish men on Wednesday”

The Washington Post

CBS News said the counterterrorism investigation was examining whether there were links to “a recent string of antisemitic attacks around synagogues and in Jewish areas of the city,” and it described prior incidents in Golders Green including an arson attack involving the volunteer Jewish medical organization Hatzola.

BBC

The Washington Post and CBS News both referenced the government’s framing of antisemitism as an emergency, with the Washington Post citing the pledge of “25 million pounds ($34 million)” for more patrols and protection.

CBS News added that the suspect had been previously referred to the government’s counterextremism program “Prevent,” and that Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said he had a “history of serious violence and mental health issues.”

The BBC reported that Rowley disclosed additional security measures including “the deployment of 264 additional officers” and the use of drones, real-time facial recognition technologies, and increased police presence, while also quoting Lawrence Blitz saying such incidents have a “huge impact on Jewish communities.”

It also described Rowley’s statement that the rapid rise in threats from the Iranian state is dangerous and that “None of this is isolated; it is part of a threat landscape that is changing rapidly.”

The BBC further said the Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom in 2025, and the South China Morning Post reported the same figure and said it was “up from 1,662 in 2022.”