London man charged after stabbing two Jewish men in Golders Green

A 45-year-old man appeared in a London court on Friday charged with attempted murder after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, a visibly Jewish north London neighborhood where the attack sharpened fears over security and antisemitism.

The defendant was identified as Essa Suleiman, a British national born in Somalia. Court officials said the case was set for trial next March, extending a legal process that will keep the stabbing under close scrutiny for months as prosecutors and defense lawyers prepare their cases.

Police said the attack took place on Wednesday, April 29, when officers responded at 11:16 a.m. in Golders Green. The Metropolitan Police said the incident was declared a terrorist incident, and Counter Terrorism Policing London said its investigation remained ongoing. Officers arrested Suleiman after stopping him with a Taser stun gun, and police said he also attempted to stab officers.

The two victims were men aged 76 and 34, and police said both were in stable condition in hospital. The setting added to the alarm: Golders Green is home to one of London’s largest Jewish communities, and the attack landed in a neighborhood where visible signs of communal life are part of the streetscape, from synagogues to kosher shops and regular security patrols.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council said they were “sickened by yet another terrorist attack on our community,” adding that it came after weeks of arson attacks targeting Jewish premises and seven months after two Jews were murdered in Manchester on Yom Kippur. Their warning reflected a wider unease among British Jews that threats can move quickly from vandalism and harassment to violence on the street.

The government responded by announcing an additional £25 million for Jewish community security, lifting total funding this year to £58 million. Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave remarks from Downing Street on April 30 and said the government would step up action against antisemitism, while London’s mayor said police would increase patrols after what he called an appalling attack on two Jewish Londoners.

In the days after the stabbing, communal leaders, the Chief Rabbi, and security groups including Shomrim, Hatzola and the Community Security Trust thanked police for their rapid response and pressed for stronger protection. The court case now moves into a longer phase, but in Golders Green the broader message is already clear: the fear is not only about one suspect, but about how quickly antisemitic violence can force a community back behind barriers, guards and patrols.