UK Raises Terror Threat To Severe After Golders Green Stabbing Of Two Jewish Men

Britain raised its national terrorism threat level to “severe” from “substantial” on Thursday, a day after an antisemitic stabbing attack in north London.

The government said the increase to the second-highest threat level out of five means a terrorist attack within the next six months is “highly likely,” and that the decision was made independently by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre.

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The BBC described the change as the first time the UK has lifted the threat level to “severe” in more than four years, after the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green on Wednesday.

In a televised statement, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government “will do everything in our power to stamp this hatred out,” while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the raising of the threat level “will be a source of concern to many, particularly amongst our Jewish community, who have suffered so much.”

The attack was formally declared a terrorist incident by the Metropolitan Police, and the BBC reported that Dan Jarvis said the increase was “not solely as a result of that attack,” but also “driven by an increase in broader Islamist and extreme right-wing” threats.

Police said the suspect was a 45-year-old man, and NPR reported that police have called the stabbing a terrorism incident while detectives worked to determine motive and whether there is any link to Iranian proxies.

The BBC further said the public should be “alert and vigilant” but not “alarmed,” and that the intelligence services, the police and government were “working round the clock to keep the public safe.”

The stabbing that triggered the threat-level upgrade happened in Golders Green, described by multiple outlets as a residential area and an epicenter of Britain’s Jewish community.

NPR said two Jewish men were seriously injured in a stabbing in Golders Green, with both men in a stable condition, and it reported that Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited the area after the attack.

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CBS News reported that the UK raised the threat level after a day earlier that wounded two Jewish men in Golders Green, and it identified the suspect as Essa Suleiman, 45, who was charged with two counts of attempted murder in connection with the stabbings.

CBS also said Suleiman was born in Somalia and lives in London, and that he was charged with a third count of attempted murder stemming from an incident elsewhere in London earlier on Wednesday that left a man with minor injuries.

i24NEWS likewise reported that Essa Suleiman, 45, faced two counts of attempted murder following Wednesday’s stabbing of Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76, on Highfield Avenue in Golders Green.

The BBC said the stabbings were declared terror by the Metropolitan Police and that Essa Suleiman, 45, remains in police custody having been arrested on the suspicion of attempting to murder Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76.

WION described the same core event as the Golders Green stabbings on 29 April, with two Jewish men aged 76 and 34 stabbed, and it said the suspect was arrested by police.

Across the accounts, the attack was treated as part of a broader pattern of incidents targeting Jewish people and sites, with CBS noting a month earlier in the same area targeted four emergency response vehicles belonging to an independent Jewish community ambulance service.

Multiple outlets tied the stabbing to a wider security debate about extremist threats and state-linked proxies, while also describing the government’s immediate response.

NPR reported that detectives were working to determine motive and whether there was any link to Iranian proxies, and it said the suspect had been referred to the government’s Prevent program in 2020, with police later closing his file without disclosing the reason for the referral.

The BBC similarly said the suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempting to murder and that police were investigating whether the suspect may have been involved in an earlier incident in south-east London on Tuesday.

In parallel, WION said the UK Home Office described the threat as rising for some time, driven by an increase in the “broader Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threat,” and it described the government’s response as an “antisemitism emergency.”

The government also announced funding and legal steps, with DW reporting that the government will invest a further £25 million (€28 million; $33 million) in increased police patrols and security and fast-track a law to give authorities stronger power to target state-sponsored proxy groups.

i24NEWS said the government announced an additional £25 million in funding for Jewish community security, bringing the total to £58 million this year, and it described expansion of Project Servator and protective security at synagogues, schools, and community centers.

NewsNation reported that Starmer promised new legislation to deal with state-sponsored threats from the likes of Iran and stronger powers to shut down charities promoting extremism and a clampdown on “hate preachers.”

BBC coverage also included the public-facing guidance that Dan Jarvis said the public should be “alert and vigilant” but not “alarmed,” while the government said the threat level increase was not solely due to Golders Green.

While the government framed the threat-level change and security measures as protection for Jewish communities, several reports described anger directed at Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the broader political response.

NPR said Starmer was heckled by about 100 protesters holding signs saying “Keir Starmer, Jew harmer” when he visited Golders Green on Thursday, and it quoted Starmer responding that he “absolutely understand[s] the high levels of anxiety and concern that there are.”

BBC

The BBC reported that angry protesters jeered and heckled Sir Keir Starmer when he visited Golders Green to meet Jewish volunteer organisations and first responders, and it quoted him saying, “That anxiety has been there for a very long time, and the appalling terrorist attack yesterday made it worse.”

The Times of Israel reported that British Jews in Golders Green were “Scared, angry at the government,” and it quoted Shloime Rand telling ITV News, “People are really concerned, people are afraid, people are uncomfortable walking in the street, people are blaming obviously the government for not doing anything about what’s going on.”

Reuters coverage in NewsNation added that Starmer had faced “severe criticism from some in the Jewish community for the government’s response,” and it described the heckling by a small crowd waving banners reading “Keir Starmer Jew Harmer.”

The Times of Israel also quoted solicitor David Pearl, 69, telling Reuters, “Is the government going to do anything meaningful? Well, let’s wait and see. Don’t hold your breath,” and it added, “I don’t feel safe anymore.”

Another community voice, Calev Swabel, 21, told Reuters, “I love England. I’m a proud British Jew and a Jewish Brit, but it really does worry me. (That’s) something that I’ve never felt before.”

Opposition figures also entered the scene, with the Times of Israel reporting that Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called antisemitism a “national emergency,” and that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the interests of British Jews had been overlooked to avoid upsetting parts of Labour’s voter base.

The immediate policy response described across outlets centers on increased policing and security, along with legal changes aimed at state-backed proxies and antisemitism.

BBC reported that the government announced the extra £25m in funding for increased police patrols and security in Jewish communities, and it said the funding would be used to put further protections in place around synagogues, schools and community centres.

CBS News

i24NEWS said the additional £25 million brought the total to £58 million this year and described Project Servator and specialist and plainclothes officers trained to identify individuals preparing to commit serious crimes.

NewsNation reported that Starmer promised more police in Jewish areas, a crackdown on those spreading antisemitism, and new legislation to deal with state-sponsored threats from the likes of Iran, including stronger powers to shut down charities promoting extremism and a clampdown on “hate preachers.”

The government also said it would fast-track legislation allowing the prosecution of people acting as proxies of a state-sponsored group, so they can be dealt with in the same way as spies for foreign intelligence services, and Starmer said, “We need stronger powers to tackle the malign threat posed by states like Iran, because we know for a fact that they want to harm British Jews.”

CBS News reported that London Mayor Sadiq Khan said, “We are doing everything possible to protect our city and keep all of our communities safe,” and it noted that the “severe” rating is the second-highest level of security preparedness and means an attack is highly likely.

The BBC added that police will be reviewing “all events across the country,” and it quoted Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor saying the UK had been “experiencing a gradual terrorist threat for some time.”

At the same time, the BBC and NPR both described the government’s emphasis on vigilance rather than panic, with Mahmood urging the public to report concerns and Jarvis telling the public to be “alert and vigilant” but not “alarmed.”