Two Jewish men stabbed in Golders Green in attack Metropolitan Police classify as terrorism

Surveillance footage published online showed a man wearing a kippah waiting at a bus stop in Golders Green when an attacker lunged at him with a knife, according to both the Associated Press and the Washington Examiner. Police said the suspect also attempted to stab responding officers, though none were injured. Metropolitan Police chief Mark Rowley described it as "another horrendous act of violence directed against our Jewish communities," according to the AP.

The attack drew swift condemnation from political leaders. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said "attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain" and called a meeting of the government's emergency committee. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said "there must be absolutely no place for antisemitism in society." Rowley, however, faced shouts of "shame on you" and "resign" from bystanders when he spoke to media at the scene, the AP reported.

Counterterrorism officers are investigating whether Wednesday's stabbings are connected to a recent series of arson attacks on Jewish sites in London, including the burning of four Hatzola volunteer ambulances in Golders Green and fires at Finchley Reform Synagogue and the former Hendon site of Jewish Futures, according to the AP and Washington Examiner. Several people, ranging from teenagers to those in their 40s, have been arrested and charged in connection with the arson incidents. The AP reported that UK authorities have accused Iran of using criminal proxies to conduct attacks on European soil, and that MI5 said it disrupted more than 20 "potentially lethal" Iran-backed plots in the year ending in October. The Washington Examiner reported that a group called Harakat Ashab al Yamin al Islamia, described as Iranian-aligned, has taken credit for recent attacks, and that Metropolitan Police have warned the group represents a "thugs for hire" model of terrorism.

Metropolitan Police chief Rowley stated the suspect had "a history of serious violence and mental health issues," according to the AP. His name had not been released as of reporting. The Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents across the UK in 2025, up from 1,662 in 2022, with numbers rising sharply after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza, the AP reported.

Voices from the Jewish community and abroad called for action beyond official statements. Britain's chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, said words of condemnation are "no longer sufficient" and called for "meaningful action from every institution." Israeli President Isaac Herzog posted on X that "in one of the great capital cities of the West, it has become dangerous to openly walk the streets as a Jew." Israel's Foreign Affairs Ministry said Starmer's statements "are no substitute for confronting the roots of antisemitism festering across United Kingdom" and stated that "the UK government can no longer claim this is under control," according to the Washington Examiner. The October 2025 car-ramming and stabbing attack outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, which left two people dead, was cited by the AP as context for the pattern of violence against British Jews.