Two London Jews were wounded in a knife attack in the heavily Jewish-populated Golders Green neighborhood on Wednesday, according to North West London Shomrim, Community Security Trust, and Metropolitan Police, and the perpetrator has been arrested under suspicion of attempted murder.
The 45-year-old knifeman ran along a road attempting to stab Jewish residents, according to the Shomrim neighborhood watch, before its volunteers detained him. When police arrived, the Met said that the suspect attempted to stab officers and was tasered before arrest.
The two victims, a man in his 70s and another in his 30s, were treated by Hatzola at the scene and are in stable condition at the hospital, according to the Met and Shomrim. No officers were wounded.
The Police are still working to establish motive, but Counter Terrorism Police are leading the investigation to establish the circumstances.
"Whilst I must stress this investigation is at an early stage, we are working quickly to understand exactly what happened," Head of Counter Terrorism Policing Laurence Taylor said in a statement. “Thank you to those who were in the area at the time and supported the response to this terrible incident.”
Residents told The Jerusalem Post that the incident occurred near the Netzach Yisroel synagogue.
British author Jonathan Harounoff told the Post that he was having breakfast in Golders Green when he saw a dozen rescue vehicles racing to the scene.
'Jewish communities in England are under attack'
"Not a normal existence for British Jews here in 2026, or any year," said Harounoff. "Jewish communities in England are under attack. It’s devastating to see the place where I was born and raised, where I spent my formative years, where I prayed and played football, where I was bar mitzvahed, become a hotbed of Jew hatred and virulent terrorism. There have been enough wake-up calls."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in the Parliament on Wednesday that the attack was "deeply concerning".
He added that the UK must be "absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offenses, the likes of which we've seen too much recently".
World Zionist Organization chairman Yaakov Hagoel, who was in London at the time of the attack, called on Starmer and London Mayor Sadiq Khan to act against antisemitism in the UK.
"Incitement against Jews can cost precious blood, and were are seeing its results right now, here on the streets of London," said Hagoel. We are working together with the authorities to eradicate this terrible phenomenon, and to allow Jews all over the world to be able to walk safely and peacefully."
Israeli Aliyah Minister Ofir Sofer said that as the security situation for British Jews continued to deteriorate, the State of Israel was working on projects to encourage Jews to immigrate.
"The attack that occurred in Britain is serious and worrying, and reflects the rise in antisemitism alongside ongoing helplessness on the part of the British government," said Sofer.
CST said on X that the Metropolitan Police, Shomrim, and Hatzola responded quickly to the incident, and urged those with information to contact the police.
The Met did not immediately respond to queries from the Post.
The incident comes a few days after a Monday arson against a memorial wall for Iranian protesters killed by the Islamic Regime in the Golders Green neighborhood.
Spate of attacks on Jewish, Israeli, and Iranian dissident sites
The arson was the latest in a spate of attacks on Jewish, Israeli, and Iranian dissident sites that began in the same area.
On March 23, four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green were set ablaze.
On April 15, arsonists attempted to attack the Finchley Reform Synagogue by placing bottles with accelerants next to the synagogue and throwing a brick at the alleged firebomb.
Later that day, an arson attempt was made against the office of Iran International, with suspected arsonists throwing a burning container into the car park of the news outlet. The fire died out on its own.
A building that was once the premises of a Jewish group, still with the organization's name on the window, was the target of an arson attempt last Friday. Three bottles containing accelerants were placed next to a building and set alight.
The bottles failed to fully ignite, but minor damage was caused to the shopfront. That same day, jars filled with unknown substances were discovered in the vicinity of the Israeli embassy.
Alleged Iranian front group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI), which claimed responsibility for many of the attacks, said that they used drones to drop hazardous materials on the embassy, but the Met found them to be benign materials.
Last Sunday, the Kenton United Synagogue was firebombed, causing minor smoke damage to a room, but no injuries.