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Two people were stabbed in north London on Wednesday, Jewish groups said, following a series of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in the area, as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “deeply concerning.”
A man was arrested after he was seen running with a knife “attempting to stab Jewish members of the public,” the Shomrim Jewish neighbourhood watch said on social media.
It added that two people were stabbed and were being treated by Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer ambulance service.
The incident happened in Golders Green, a part of London that is home to a large Jewish community.
“There has been a knife attack today in Golders Green. The suspect has been arrested,” the Community Security Trust added on X.
“We are working closely with the police and urge anyone with information to contact the police, Shomrim and CST immediately,” said the charity, which provides safety advice and security to Jewish groups and buildings such as synagogues.
Starmer told lawmakers in parliament that a police investigation was underway and “we all need to…be absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offences, the like of which we have seen too much recently”.
London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the attack and confirmed that police had arrested someone.
“There has been an appalling attack on two Jewish Londoners in Golders Green. The police have made an arrest and I’d like to thank all the emergency services and heroic volunteers…for their swift response,” Khan said in a post on X.
“London’s Jewish community have been the target of a series of shocking antisemitic attacks. There must be absolutely no place for antisemitism in society.”
The incident comes in the wake of a spate of arson attacks on synagogues and community sites in north London in recent weeks.
The first attack in late March saw four ambulances belonging to the Hatzola charity set ablaze.
Other incidents have followed, including an attack on the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow as well as the premises of a Jewish charity.
Last week, the Finchley Reform Synagogue was targeted.
Police have arrested 26 people for the various attacks, launched since the start of the US-Iran war on Iran on 28 February.
Many of the incidents have been claimed by a little-known group, believed to be linked to Iran, called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), meaning The Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand.
Additional sources • AFP
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