LONDON, United Kingdom — Two Jewish men were stabbed in north London on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in an attack that police later declared a terrorist incident, intensifying concerns in a community already shaken by a series of antisemitic assaults in the capital.
The Metropolitan Police said a 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the attack in Golders Green, a neighbourhood with a large Jewish population.
The two victims, aged 76 and 34, were taken to hospital and were in stable condition, police said.
No police officers were injured, though authorities said the suspect also tried to attack officers before he was detained.
Attack in Golders Green
The stabbings occurred shortly after 11 a.m. local time. Security footage showed one victim being attacked near a bus stop as he put on his kippah.
A second victim was stabbed while walking nearby and managed to flee after confronting the assailant.
Police said counterterrorism officers had taken over the investigation and were examining whether the Jewish community had been deliberately targeted.
“This has now formally been declared a terrorist incident,” said Laurence Taylor, the head of counterterrorism policing in London.
Investigators, he added, were looking into “whether this attack was deliberately targeting the Jewish community in London.”
Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, said the suspect had a “history of serious violence and mental health issues.”
Community Volunteers Responded
Volunteers from Shomrim, a Jewish neighbourhood watch group, were among the first people at the scene, according to Rabbi Herschel Gluck, who oversees a nearby branch of the organisation.
They “apprehended the stabber and held on to him until the police came,” Gluck told CNN.
Video recorded by local residents showed the suspect moving towards officers before being tasered and arrested.
Police later cordoned off sections of the area as emergency vehicles and a helicopter were deployed.
Recent Attacks on Jewish Sites
The stabbings came after several attacks on Jewish communal sites in London.
Last month, four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity were set on fire in Golders Green, and four people were later charged by police.
In the weeks that followed, a synagogue and the former premises of a Jewish charity in north London were attacked.
Earlier this week, a suspected arson attack targeted a memorial wall displaying photographs of protesters killed by Iranian security forces and victims of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks in southern Israel.
Rowley said police had increased deployments in response to recent incidents.
“In recent weeks, we have deployed thousands of additional officer shifts to protect Londoners, alongside intensified investigations that have already led to the arrest of 28, particularly those targeting the Jewish community,” he said.
Eight people had been charged, he added.
Official Condemnation
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the attack as “utterly appalling” and said the government remained determined to confront antisemitic offences.
“We all need to … be absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offences, the like of which we’ve seen too much recently,” Starmer told Parliament.
King Charles III, who was on a state visit to the United States, had been briefed on the incident, according to a spokesperson, who said the king’s “thoughts and prayers are with the two individuals who were injured.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “horrified by yet another violent attack on Jews in broad daylight on the streets of London” and urged the British government to take urgent action.
Investigation Continues
Police said they were still working to establish the suspect’s background, nationality and any possible links to terrorism.
The attack has deepened anxiety among Jewish residents in Golders Green, where community leaders said many people were already fearful because of the recent series of attacks.
“It’s not acceptable that people cannot walk along the street without fear of being attacked,” said David Meyer, the chief executive of the Jewish educational organisation PaJeS.
