Authorities in the U.K. have said a stabbing attack on two Jewish men in north London is being treated as a terror incident and that they are investigating whether the Jewish community was deliberately targeted, terrorism policing Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor confirmed from outside Scotland Yard, London’s police headquarters.
The stabbings took place in Golders Green, a London neighbourhood with a significant Jewish population, on Wednesday morning.
The Metropolitan Police said the attack left two men, aged 34 and 76, hospitalized with knife wounds and that a 45-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The suspect has a history of “serious violence and mental health issues,” Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said at the scene, adding, “My first thoughts are with the two British Jews, who were attacked whilst going about their daily lives, which they should be able to do freely and safely in their own local community.”
“I also want to pay tribute to my officers, who were on the scene within a few minutes, and whose actions undoubtedly prevented further injury and saved lives,” he continued.
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Police said they are investigating whether the stabbing was connected to a recent arson attack on several ambulances owned by the Jewish-run charity Hatzolah, also in Golders Green and on synagogues and other Jewish sites in the British capital.
“Our highly-specialized teams of officers are working with the Metropolitan Police to progress this investigation quickly and establish exactly what has happened,” Taylor said.
A man walks past a blocked road after two people were stabbed in Golders Green neighbourhood, which has a large Jewish community, in London, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
AP Photo/Kin Cheung
“Now, that community are strong, but they will be incredibly concerned to see and hear what has happened today, particularly in the wake of other incidents in recent weeks. And that concern will be felt not just in the capital, but in communities and homes across the U.K.,” he added.
Politicians and Jewish leaders have condemned the violent incident.
“Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the attack was “appalling” and thanked emergency services for their swift response to the incident, including volunteers from Hatzolah and Shomrim, the former being the ambulance service whose vehicles were set on fire in a previous antisemitic incident in Golders Green.
Shomrim is an independent, volunteer Jewish civilian patrol organization operating in major global cities, including London, New York and Toronto.
Shomrim said a suspect “was seen running along Golders Green Road armed with a knife and attempting to stab Jewish members of the public.” It said the suspect was detained by Shomrim members and arrested by police, who used a stun gun on him.
In a statement on X, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said words of condemnation were no longer enough and called for “meaningful action from every institution, every community, every leader, and every decent person in our country.”
“This is a hatred that we must face down together,” he concluded.
Wednesday’s stabbings follow a spate of attacks targeting Jewish sites in the area, including an arson attempt on Finchley Reform Synagogue, in north London, the torching of ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity parked in Golders Green in March, an attack on a former Jewish charity building in Hendon, which neighbours Golders Green, and a bottle containing “some sort of accelerant” being thrown at Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, north west London earlier in April, the BBC reported.
— with files from The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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