Man charged with attempted murder after stabbing 2 Jewish Londoners

LONDON

Local residents look on from outside a cordoned off area in the Golders Green neighbourhood of north London on April 29, 2026, following the stabbing to two people nearby. (AFP)

U.K. police announced on May 1 they have charged a 45-year-old man over the stabbing of two Jewish men in north London, the latest in a string of attacks targeting Britain's Jewish community.

The capital's Metropolitan Police said Essa Suleiman, of Camberwell, south London, had been charged with three counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place.

One attempted murder count relates to a separate south London incident on April 29 in which the knife-wielding Suleiman, a British national who was born in Somalia and came to the U.K. as a child, allegedly had "an altercation" with the occupant of a flat, according to the Met.

The other charges cover the attack in Golders Green, a north London area with a large Jewish population, which has left the community feeling increasingly vulnerable and highly critical of authorities.

The Golders Green stabbing, which unfolded in broad daylight, was promptly declared a "terrorist incident," with Counter Terrorism Policing leading the ongoing investigation.

Two men, aged 76 and 34, were treated at the scene for stab wounds before being taken to hospital. The 34-year-old has since been released while the 76-year-old remains in a stable condition in hospital, police said.

"We are determined to get justice for the victims," Commander Helen Flanagan, who is leading the investigation, said in its statement.

"Now that a person has been charged, I would urge everyone to avoid any further speculation in relation to this case so that justice can run its course."

Facing accusations from angry British Jews that his government has repeatedly failed to protect them, Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed on April 30 to boost security for the Jewish community.

He faced boos and heckles when visiting the scene of the attack.

Later, in a televised address from Downing Street, he urged Britons to unite against antisemitism, calling on "everyone decent in this country to open their eyes to Jewish pain, Jewish suffering and Jewish fear."