Golders Green knife attack declared terror incident, two Jewish men stabbed

Police treated the stabbing in Golders Green as a terrorist incident after two Jewish men, Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76, were attacked on a street in north London. The victims were reported stable in hospital, while the suspect, 45-year-old Essa Suleiman, a British national born in Somalia, remained in custody after being tasered by officers.

Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said Suleiman had a history of serious violence and mental health issues, and police said he had previously been referred to Prevent, the government’s counter-extremism programme. CCTV and body-worn video showed officers ordering him to drop the knife before they used tasers to detain him. Police said he also tried to stab officers when they arrived at the scene.

Local volunteers were among the first to respond. Shomrim members helped apprehend the suspect before police took him into custody, and Barnet Council said road closures were put in place around Highfields Avenue and Golders Green Road at the junction with the A406 while the investigation continued. The council told residents to stay away from the area.

The attack landed against a wider backdrop of fear in London’s Jewish communities. On 30 April 2026, the Prime Minister said Britain’s Jewish community had suffered another vile terrorist attack and promised a stronger visible police presence, more support for Jewish security services, powers to shut down charities that promote antisemitic extremism, faster action against hate preachers and new powers to tackle state threats, including Iran. The government also announced an extra £25 million to protect Jewish communities, bringing total funding to £58 million this year.

The escalation also came with a national security warning. The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre raised the UK National Threat Level from SUBSTANTIAL to SEVERE on 30 April 2026, meaning an attack is highly likely in the next six months, the Home Office said. Officials said the change reflected not only the Golders Green stabbing but also a broader rise in Islamist and extreme right-wing threats, alongside increased state-linked physical threats affecting the Jewish community.

The stabbing followed a run of antisemitic incidents in northwest London, including the 23 March arson attack on four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green. London Fire Brigade said six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were sent after the first of 56 calls came in at 01:40, and the blaze was under control by 03:06. Three people, Hamza Iqbal, Rehan Khan and a 17-year-old boy, were later charged with arson with intent to damage property and recklessness as to whether life would be endangered. The Golders Green attack has now become part of a larger national reckoning over how quickly antisemitic violence is turning into a question of state protection.