Two people were stabbed Wednesday in a London neighborhood with a large Jewish population in what Britain’s prime minister has described as an “antisemitic attack.”
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Shomrim, a Jewish neighborhood patrol group that operates in the north London suburb of Golders Green, which has seen a number of antisemitic incidents in recent weeks, said its team had detained a male suspect after an attack targeting “Jewish members of the public.”
London’s Metropolitan Police said two men, one in his 70s and one in his 30s, were treated at the scene for stab wounds. Both were taken to the hospital and were in a stable condition, police said Wednesday.
Police said a 45-year-old man had been arrested in suspicion of attempted murder after also attempting to stab police officers. They said he was tasered prior to being taken into custody, with police still working to “establish his nationality and background.”
The department said specialist officers from Counter Terrorism Policing were leading the investigation as authorities worked to “establish the full circumstances and any links to terrorism.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the incident in a post on X on Wednesday, writing: “The antisemitic attack in Golders Green is utterly appalling. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan meanwhile condemned what he called an “appalling attack on two Jewish Londoners,” promising “high visibility patrols in the area.”
It comes just weeks after an arson attack on several ambulances in the area — home to several synagogues and dozens of Jewish schools and restaurants — that was condemned by Starmer as a “deeply shocking antisemitic” assault.
Meanwhile, a separate suspected arson attack had been reported in the area on Monday.

Shomrim said a male suspect armed with a knife had been seen running along Golders Green Road on Wednesday, “attempting to stab Jewish members of the public.”
The patrol group said two victims were stabbed and were treated by Hatzola, a volunteer emergency medical service that operates in the area.
Sarah Sackman, the Member of Parliament for Finchley and Golders Green, said: “The attacks on British Jews are an attack on Britain itself. It is unconscionable that Jews are being targeted in this way.”
About 15,000 people live in Golders Green, with half being Jewish, according to 2021 census data.
The attack on several ambulances belonging to Hatzola in the area in late March sent shockwaves through the community.
Three men and a teenager have been charged in connection with the ambulance attack. They were remanded in custody last week, with a plea hearing set for August.

On Monday, a fresh suspected arson attack was also reported at a memorial wall in the Golders Green area, the Metropolitan Police said.
British broadcaster BBC News said the wall had depicted Iranians killed protesting against the country’s regime and had been situated near a Jewish center. A section of the wall also commemorated those killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in southern Israel, it said.
Police said counter-terror officers were leading an investigation of that incident, but it was not yet being treated as a terror incident.
“We recognise that this incident will heighten concerns in the Golders Green area, where residents have already faced a series of attacks,” Williams said in a statement Monday.
He said police had stepped up efforts to “reassure communities,” including with armed police patrols, since the arson attack last month.
Wednesday’s stabbing attack comes as the number of antisemitic incidents reported in the United Kingdom has surged since the Israel-Hamas war began in late 2023, including repeated attacks on synagogues.
The Community Security Trust, a British charity that works to protect the country’s Jewish population, recorded 3,700 incidents last year alone, compared with 1,662 in 2022.