Closing summary: What we know so far
Two Jewish men, aged 76 and 34, were stabbed on Wednesday morning in Golders Green, north-west London, and are being treated by Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer ambulance service.
A 45-year-old man was arrested by the Metropolitan police, and the force is treating it as a terrorist incident, with officers investigating whether the attack deliberately targeted the Jewish community. Speaking outside Scotland Yard on Wednesday, head of counter-terrorism policing Laurence Taylor confirmed that the stabbing has been formally declared to be terrorism.
The latest incident comes after a series of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in north London. This includes two incidents in Golders Green.
Prime minister Keir Starmer called a Cobra meeting, and said he would meet with criminal justice agencies on Thursday. “I’m holding a meeting tomorrow with the criminal justice agencies to make sure that we have effective and swift justice in these cases,” he said.
The chief rabbi and the Israeli foreign ministry have called for action. Ephraim Mirvis, the chief rabbi, said words of condemnation are now longer enough and branded antisemitism “a hatred that we must face down together” and said what happened in Golders Green, north London on Wednesday morning must be a moment for “meaningful action”.
Other political party leaders in the UK condemned the attack. Green party leader Zack Polanski described it as “horrendous”, and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said the government must “do more” to keep Jewish communities safe.
Map: location of the incident
Here is a map showing the location of the attack in Golders Green, north-west London.
According to the Metropolitan police, officers responded to reports of people being stabbed in Highfield Avenue at 11.16am. Police then said two men, aged 76 and 34, were stabbed on this road. However, as the BBC reports, CCTV footage shows him jogging along the pavement to Golders Green Road, and footage appeared to show the second stabbing there.
This image shows the alleged attacker, with his face blurred, walking down the street carrying a blade. He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder after being shot with a stun gun to subdue him, police said.
