Police have declared a terrorist incident after two Jewish men were stabbed in an "utterly appalling" knife attack in Golders Green on Wednesday.
The victims, aged 76 and 34, are in hospital in a stable condition, while a 45-year-old man, a British national born in Somalia, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the incident.
Police have said that both victims suffered stab wounds in the attack, while the suspect was initially taken to hospital, but has since been discharged and transferred to a London police station, where he remains in custody.
London’s Jewish community has been the target of a swathe of attacks in recent months, including the attempted firebombing of Finchley Reform Synagogue on April 15 and the arson attack on four Hatzola ambulances on March 23.
Here’s everything we know so far about the stabbing in Golders Green.
When did the attack happen?
Two people were stabbed in the Golders Green area of north London at around 11.16am on Wednesday after a man with a knife was seen running down the high street, allegedly attempting to stab Jewish people in the area.
CCTV footage, which appears to capture the moment before one of the attacks, shows a man standing in a bus shelter when he is set upon by a man wielding a weapon. The victim then falls back into the shelter, while bystanders rush to his aid.
Footage filmed from a car driving north along Golders Green Road shows the suspect chasing after a man on the pavement.
Jewish community security organisation, Shomrim, said they responded immediately and detained a suspect after seeing the man on Golders Green Road “armed with a knife and attempting to stab Jewish members of the public”.
Officers from Met Police arrived on the scene and a 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. He remains in police custody.
Body-worn footage showing the moment the suspect was Tasered and arrested following the attack has been released by police.
The footage shows two officers ordering the man to “get down on the ground”. When he refuses, he is tasered as the officers move in and manage to remove a weapon from the man during a struggle, before arresting him on suspicion of attempted murder.
The suspect is administered CPR, and further footage shows him being lifted on a stretcher into an ambulance.
What do we know about the suspected attacker?
Police have established that the suspect is a British national who was born in Somalia.
Sir Mark Rowley, commissioner for the Metropolitan Police, said the man had a history of serious violence and mental health issues.
Rowley said that officers "confronted a man they believed to be a terrorist, who refused to show his hands, who was violent and continued to pose a clear threat".
Rowley added: "We're also working with our partners in the security services to ensure we have a full intelligence picture and one of the lines of inquiry is whether this attack was deliberately targeting the Jewish community in London."
The Met have confirmed that officers carried out a search at an address in south-east London on Wednesday, after a separate incident was reported to police which is believed to involve the same man arrested after the Golders Green attack.
The Met said they were called at around 8.50am on Wednesday to an address in Great Dover Street in Southwark, where a "suspect who is reported to have been armed with a knife, is believed to have had an altercation with the occupant before leaving". The occupant suffered minor injuries in the incident.
Who were the victims?
Two Jewish men, Shilome Rand, 34, and Mosche Ben Baila, named locally as Moshe Shine, 76, have been named as the victims of the attack.
They were both taken to hospital after being stabbed, and are in a stable condition.
Speaking to ITV News, Rand said that he had just left his local synagogue and was on his way to work, when he was stabbed in the chest.
He said: “This fellow came towards me and just stabbed me in the chest… I jumped back, so thankfully it was only one stab. It could have taken my life.”
“All afternoon I’ve had calls and texts coming in, people are really afraid, people are uncomfortable walking in the streets. People are blaming obviously the Government.
“You know they aren’t doing anything about what’s going on for the past few months. Really our community is suffering from these kind of attacks and now they’re trying to take people’s lives.”
After initially being told he would need emergency surgery, Rand said his wound was not as bad as first feared.
“I am here and I can talk, and it’s really a miracle that has happened to me today,” he added.
In a post in X, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: “Please join me in praying for a swift and complete recovery for the victims of today’s attack: Nachman Moshe ben Chaya Sarah and Moshe Ben Baila.”
What have the police said?
The investigation into the attack, which has been formally declared a “terrorist incident,” is being led by counter-terrorism police.
Meanwhile, forces are being mobilised up and down the country “to provide additional support and reassurance” to Jewish communities.
Speaking next to local MP Sarah Sackman, Rowley described the incident as "another horrendous act of violence directed against our Jewish communities".
"This is an attack on one community and an attack on one community is an attack on all London's communities," he said.
"This was an attack on Londoners. It was an attack on British Jews.
"Too many Jewish people in this country feel they have to make choices that no other Briton ever has to make.
"They have to chose what they dress, where they go or how visibly they live their lives. That is completely unacceptable and has gone on for far too long."
What has the reaction been to the attack?
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan condemned the “appalling” attack and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called it “deeply disturbing”.
The incident prompted calls for action from the Chief Rabbi and the Israeli foreign ministry, following a series of incidents targeting Jewish sites in London.
The Chief Rabbi said "words of condemnation are no longer sufficient" following the attack.
"This must be a moment that demands meaningful action from every institution, every community, every leader, and every decent person in our country," he wrote on X.
"This is a hatred that we must face down together."
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said that King Charles was "naturally deeply concerned" by the attack.
They said: "His thoughts and prayers are with the two individuals who were injured and offers his heartfelt gratitude to those who so selflessly rushed to their aid."
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the attack was "utterly appalling", adding: "Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain."
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley faced criticism when he visited the scene, with people shouting for him to resign, following accusations that the Met is not doing enough to protect the Jewish community.
A protest took place on Golders Green Road on Wednesday evening, close to where the attack took place and near the memorial wall where an attempted arson attack took place on Monday.
Organised by campaign group Stop The Hate, at least 150 protesters marched down the road chanting and waving flags, with deputy leader of Reform UK Richard Tice and shadow home secretary Chris Philp speaking to demonstrators.
