British police on Friday said they had charged a 45-year-old man with two counts of attempted murder following an anti-Semitic attack during which two men were stabbed in Golders Green, north London, earlier in the week.
Following the attack, officials raised the national terrorism threat to its second-highest level, meaning a terrorist attack within the next six months is highly likely, and prime minister Keir Starmer vowed stronger action to protect Jewish people.
Police said Essa Suleiman was charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place in relation to the attack. He was also charged with attempted murder in relation to a separate incident earlier on the same day in south London.
He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later on Friday.
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One of the victims of the stabbing incident, a 34-year-old, has since been released from hospital while the 76-year-old victim remains in a stable condition, police said.
Britain had been experiencing a growing terrorist threat for some time, with risks coming from multiple directions, and the increase to the threat level was not solely in response to the stabbing incident, the government said.
There are mounting security concerns linked to foreign states which the government said had helped fuel violence, including against the Jewish community, which has been the target of several arson attacks in recent weeks.
Police had previously said the suspect in the Golders Green attack, a British national who was born in Somalia, had a history of serious violence and mental health issues.
They confirmed he had previously been referred to the counter-radicalisation scheme Prevent in 2020.
London’s Metropolitan Police said pro-Palestine marches across the country will be assessed after the UK terrorism threat level was raised to “severe” on Thursday, meaning a terror attack is “highly likely”.
[ Suspect in London stabbings was referred to counter-extremism programme in 2020Opens in new window ]
The decision is not solely a result of the Golders Green attack, the UK home office said, adding the threat level in the UK has been “rising for some time”.
A “stop the war” coalition is planning a major demonstration in London on May 16th to mark Nakba Day, commemorating the 1948 displacement of Palestinians during the creation of Israel.
Met Commissioner Mark Rowley criticised Green Party leader Zack Polanski for retweeting an X post accusing officers of “repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head” when he was already incapacitated from being tasered.
Rowley said he was “disappointed”, adding the post was “inaccurate and misinformed”. – Reuters/PA
