Sir Mark Rowley was confronted by furious bystanders shouting “resign” and “shame on you” as he visited the scene of a terrorist knife attack in Golders Green on Tuesday morning, in which two Jewish men were stabbed by an attacker who had previously been known to police and the Government’s Prevent deradicalisation programme.
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner acknowledged he could “never give an absolute assurance” that Jewish people were safe in London, but insisted his force was doing “everything we can do to protect people in difficult times.” He said he understood why Jewish Londoners felt “afraid and angry” — and warned of a rise in antisemitic violence being fuelled from abroad. “We know that some individuals are being encouraged, persuaded or paid to commit acts of violence on behalf of foreign organisations and hostile states,” he said.
The attack took place at around 11.15am on Highfield Avenue in Golders Green, just minutes from where four Jewish community ambulances were firebombed last month. The suspect — a 45-year-old man who has not been named — is understood to have previously been imprisoned for violence. He first stabbed one victim near a synagogue before rushing at a second man at a bus stop and repeatedly knifing him. Video footage obtained by the Daily Mail showed the second victim staggering into a nearby pizza takeaway, where a staff member named Tariq Aziz gave him a tissue and assisted him until police arrived.
Shomrim coordinator Ben Grossnass told the Daily Mail that volunteers arrived at the scene “in a minute and a half” after a call to the hotline at 11.20am. The Campaign Against Antisemitism said Shomrim volunteers had stopped the suspect with a vehicle before police arrived. Officers then Tasered the attacker, who attempted to stab police during the confrontation and went into cardiac arrest following the discharge. A brave bystander also jumped on the suspect to help officers restrain him.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis confirmed the victims’ names as Nachman Moshe ben Chaya Sarah and Moshe Ben Baila. Both men — one in his 70s, one in his 30s — are in a stable condition in hospital. Yecottien Benouaich, 40, described the elderly victim as “my best friend” and said he had been “stabbed for being Jewish.”
The incident has been declared an act of terrorism. Counter-terrorism officers are leading the investigation. Islamist group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya claimed responsibility hours after the arrest, but police have treated the claim with scepticism, believing the attack to have been carried out by a lone individual with no ties to any hostile state. Officers are not linking the stabbings to the series of previous arson attacks on Jewish sites in the area, which the same group has also claimed.
King Charles, currently on a state visit to the United States, was kept fully informed and a spokesman said he was “naturally deeply concerned, in particular about the impact for the Jewish community,” offering his “heartfelt gratitude to those who so selflessly rushed to their aid.”
The political response was swift and fierce. Kemi Badenoch described the situation as “a national emergency,” saying Jewish people in Britain were “under constant attack” and that it was “no longer a growing pattern” but “an epidemic.” Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the Jewish community was “not being properly protected” and demanded urgent government action against antisemitism, Iran and Islamist extremism. London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan called the attack “appalling,” while Labour MP Sarah Sackman, who also faced shouts of “shame on you” and “go to hell” at the scene, said the attacks on British Jews were “an attack on Britain itself.”
Chief Rabbi Mirvis said “words of condemnation are no longer sufficient” and called for action on “root causes” rather than symptoms. “There has been a sustained effort to terrorise the Jewish people,” he said. Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said Jewish life in Britain was “under threat not seen for generations.” One local Jewish resident, Moishe, 30, was more despairing still: “Again. And again. And again. All talk, no action. British Jews must come to terms with the reality that we’re not safe here.”
Israel’s foreign ministry said Sir Keir Starmer’s statements were “no substitute for confronting the roots of antisemitism” and that the UK Government “can no longer claim this is under control.” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she would “strain every sinew” to keep Jewish people safe, while Starmer called the attack “deeply concerning” and said the Government was “absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offences.”
The attack comes amid a sustained campaign of violence against Jewish targets in north London. A 37-year-old man arrested near Barnstaple in Devon on Sunday on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts was the 26th person detained in connection with incidents including the Golders Green ambulance firebombing, arson at two synagogues, a drone near the Israeli Embassy, jars of powdered substance left in Kensington Gardens and an attack on a Persian media organisation. A 17-year-old pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to arson in connection with the attack on Kenton United Synagogue.
