A knife attack in a London neighborhood home to thousands of Jewish residents left two people wounded Wednesday, according to local authorities and community groups who say the attacker specifically sought out Jewish victims.
The incident unfolded in Golders Green, a northern London community where roughly half of the 15,000 residents are Jewish based on 2021 census figures. A local Jewish patrol organization called Shomrim reported capturing a male attacker who was “attempting to stab Jewish members of the public.”
Emergency responders from Hatzolah, a volunteer medical service, treated the two wounded victims at the scene. London police later arrived and used a taser to subdue the suspect before making an arrest, according to the patrol group’s account.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke about the violence during parliamentary proceedings, describing it as “deeply concerning.” He told lawmakers that officials were reviewing what happened and stressed the government’s commitment to be “absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offences, the likes of which we’ve seen too much recently.”
The Golders Green area features numerous synagogues along with dozens of Jewish educational institutions and restaurants serving the community.
This latest violence adds to a string of anti-Jewish incidents across the United Kingdom. Recent weeks have seen arson attacks damaging multiple Hatzolah emergency vehicles, various assaults on synagogue buildings, and another attempted arson reported in the same area just Monday.
Police continue investigating the circumstances surrounding Wednesday’s attack.
