LONDON, United Kingdom — Two Jewish men were stabbed and injured in north London after an attacker allegedly ran through the Golders Green area targeting Jewish members of the public, in what police have now classified as a terrorist incident.
The Metropolitan Police said the attack took place shortly after 11 a.m. on Wednesday in Golders Green, a neighbourhood known as a major centre of Jewish life in Britain. Two victims, aged 76 and 34, were taken to the hospital. Authorities said both men were in stable condition.
A 45-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder after officers used a Taser to stop him, according to police and multiple media reports. Counter-terrorism detectives are leading the investigation.
Local Jewish volunteer security group Shomrim said the suspect was seen “running along Golders Green Road armed with a knife and attempting to stab Jewish members of the public.”
Shomrim members responded immediately and helped detain the suspect until police arrived, according to statements reported by multiple outlets.
The Community Security Trust, the United Kingdom’s main Jewish communal security organization, also confirmed it was assisting police and supporting the affected community.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the stabbing as “utterly appalling” and said attacks on the Jewish community are attacks on Britain.
“Those responsible will be brought to justice,” Starmer said in a public statement.
Sadiq Khan said London’s Jewish community had recently faced “a series of shocking antisemitic attacks” and stressed there must be no place for antisemitism in society.
The stabbing follows several recent attacks on Jewish targets in London, including arson incidents involving synagogues, memorial sites, and Jewish community facilities, prompting heightened concern among British Jews and increased police patrols.
Golders Green is home to synagogues, kosher businesses, schools, and a large Orthodox Jewish population. For many Jewish residents, the area is considered one of the safest and most established centres of Jewish communal life in Europe.
The latest attack is likely to intensify calls for stronger security measures around Jewish institutions and tougher enforcement against antisemitic violence.
For Jewish readers in Canada and abroad, the incident underscores growing fears facing diaspora communities as visibly Jewish individuals increasingly become targets of hate crimes and politically motivated violence.
Security experts have long warned that attacks on Jewish civilians often rise during periods of tension in the Middle East, even when victims have no connection to government policy or overseas conflict.
Community leaders in Britain said the focus must remain on protecting lives, prosecuting offenders, and ensuring Jewish citizens can walk openly and safely in public.
Police said searches, witness interviews, and digital evidence reviews are continuing. Investigators have not yet publicly released a motive beyond confirming the terrorism designation.
Authorities have not formally released the names of the victims, though prayers for their recovery were widely shared across the Jewish community.
For many in London’s Jewish population, the message from the attack was deeply personal: even in a historic Jewish neighbourhood, vigilance remains necessary.
