UK Police Investigate Terror Stabbing of Jewish Men in Golders Green, London

Two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, north London, on Wednesday in what police declared a terrorist incident, triggering a wave of political and community reaction in Britain.

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The BBC identified the victims as Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76, and said a 45-year-old British national who came to the UK from Somalia as a child was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

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The Times of Israel reported that Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the suspect has a history of serious violence and mental health issues, and that he was known to the government’s counter-radicalization Prevent program.

The Times of Israel also said the assailant came to the UK “lawfully” when he was a child, and that the newly formed terror group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) claimed responsibility.

The attack occurred at approximately 11:16 a.m. on Highfield Avenue, and the Times of Israel said CCTV footage captured the suspect walking toward a 76-year-old man wearing a kippah waiting at a bus stop.

The Times of Israel described the stabbing as the suspect “suddenly lunged, grabbing the victim with his left hand while repeatedly swinging a knife at his upper body,” and said about 10 minutes later a 34-year-old man was also stabbed nearby.

After Shomrim volunteers detained the suspect, Metropolitan Police officers arrived and, according to the Times of Israel, officers deployed Pava spray and a Taser after the suspect allegedly attempted to stab them.

British officials framed the stabbing as part of a broader pattern of attacks on Jewish people, and they announced additional security funding while promising a faster operational response.

The BBC reported that the government has announced an extra £25m in funding for increased police patrols and security in Jewish communities, with the money also used to put further protections in place around synagogues, schools and community centres.

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Jonathan Hall KC, the government’s adviser on terrorism, told the BBC that attacks on Jewish people are “the biggest national security emergency” in almost a decade, adding that British Jews were “now thinking they cannot live a normal life”.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told BBC Breakfast she did not agree that attacks against Jewish people amounted to a national emergency, but insisted the government was treating the issue as an “absolute priority”.

The Times of Israel said Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed on Thursday to deal with “the root causes of extremism and antisemitism” after the stabbing, and that he said authorities must respond in a “swift, agile and visible way”.

At a meeting of criminal justice agencies on Thursday, the Times of Israel reported Starmer said there was “no getting away from the fact that this was not a one-off,” describing it as “a series of attacks on our Jewish community, particularly in recent weeks”.

The BBC added that Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said Wednesday’s attack “proves that if you are visibly Jewish, you're not safe and far more needs to be done,” while the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council said they were “sickened” and that security measures were essential but “not the answer”.

As Starmer visited Golders Green, protesters challenged the government’s record and the political messaging around antisemitism and extremism.

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The Times of Israel reported that “protesters gathered to criticize what they said was longstanding government inaction,” and said they booed and chanted “Keir Starmer, Jew Harmer” as he arrived.

The Times of Israel said Starmer vowed to stand with the Jewish community after the attack, and that authorities have formally declared a terrorist incident.

The BBC described a different emphasis, quoting Starmer’s view that “there was "no getting away from the fact that this was not a one-off",” and that it was “a series of attacks on our Jewish community,” with the response required to be “swift and visible”.

The BBC also captured the tension inside government language, with Mahmood telling BBC Breakfast that the phrase “national emergency” has particular connotations, including suspending elements of democracy, and she said “I don't believe this is where we are today”.

In the same BBC report, Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said it was “shameful” that attacks on Jewish communities were happening “on such a frequent basis” and agreed with Hall that this amounted to a national emergency.

The BBC further reported that the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the UK government to do more to protect the Jewish community, referencing “weakness” in the face of “one antisemitic attack after another”.

Separate from the stabbing, British police investigated a deliberate arson attack on Jewish charity ambulances in London, with officials describing it as a hate crime and linking it to the same Golders Green area.

The West Asian source said Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the incident on Monday morning, describing it as a “shockingly antisemitic deliberate arson attack,” and wrote in a tweet: "My thoughts are with the Jewish community who woke up this morning to this horrific news."

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The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to Golders Green after reports of a fire, and the force said the burned vehicles were four ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance Service.

The West Asian source reported that several gas cylinders mounted on the vehicles exploded, causing windows of a neighboring residential building to be shattered, and that nearby homes were evacuated with no reported injuries.

Inspector Sara Jackson said investigators were reviewing CCTV and were aware of footage circulating online, and she said they believed they were looking for three suspects at this early stage.

She added that no arrests had been made and said, “We know this incident will cause significant concern in the community and officers will be on the scene immediately to investigate.”

The BBC’s timeline of incidents also placed the ambulance arson on 23 March 2026, describing it as “Four Jewish charity-owned ambulances were set on fire in the car park of a synagogue in Golders Green.”

The BBC placed the stabbing within a longer sequence of incidents targeting Jewish sites and people, and it listed multiple dates and locations that shaped how officials and politicians described the threat.

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The BBC said the stabbing on Wednesday followed a spate of incidents in recent months, including 2 October 2025 when “Two Jewish people were killed and three left in a serious condition after a car ramming and stabbing attack outside a synagogue in Manchester,” and it specified that “One of the men was killed by a bullet fired by police.”

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It also listed 15 April when “A brick and two bottles thought to contain petrol were thrown at the Finchley Reform Synagogue in north London,” and 17 April when “Suspicious items, later found to be non-hazardous, were found near the Israeli embassy in London.”

The BBC further said that on 18 April “A bottle containing a type of accelerant was thrown through the window,” and it described how the government’s response included enhanced security measures so “people can go about their business.”

The BBC quoted Mahmood saying she understood fear within the community and stressed that the enhanced security measures announced by the government would mean “people can go about their business,” while she accepted that security could only tackle the “end of the problem” and that more must be done to address antisemitism “at its root.”

The Times of Israel reported that Starmer told reporters the fight against antisemitism is an issue for “everyone in this country,” and it said the government’s adviser on terrorism, Jonathan Hall KC, told the BBC that attacks on British Jews are the country’s “biggest national security emergency” in almost a decade.

The Times of Israel also said King Charles’s spokesman shared concern, stating “His Majesty is being kept fully informed and is naturally deeply concerned,” and that the King’s thoughts and prayers were with the two individuals injured.