Human Rights Voices

Two Jewish men — one in his 70s and the other in his 30s — were stabbed and seriously wounded on Wednesday in the heavily Jewish London neighborhood of Golders Green in an antisemitic terror attack, the latest in a spate of incidents targeting British Jews.

Both men were treated at the scene and taken to the hospital. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police described the victims’ condition as stable. The BBC earlier said they were seriously wounded.

The assailant, a 45-year-old man who also tried to stab police officers in the attack, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police said. “Specialist officers from Counter Terrorism Policing are leading the investigation and working with the Metropolitan Police to establish the full circumstances and any links to terrorism,” the statement said.

The head of Counter Terrorism Policing, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, later said the attack had formally been declared a terrorist incident, and that investigators were looking into “whether this attack was deliberately targeting the Jewish community in London.”

The local Shomrim emergency response organization, which serves Jewish areas, made the first public report of the incident, saying it had responded immediately and detained the suspect.

Shortly thereafter, it said, police arrived and assisted in subduing him.

aThe victims were initially treated by the Hatzola ambulance service, Shomrim said. The Jewish community medics also treated the suspect, according to reports.

The attack took place some 300 yards away from the site of an arson attack earlier this month targeting four Hatzola ambulances parked outside a synagogue.

The Community Security Trust, which advises Britain’s estimated 280,000 Jews on hate crimes and safety issues, thanked Shomrim, as well as Hatzola and the Metropolitan Police, for their “swift response.”

A witness told the BBC that one of the victims was attacked outside a shop, while the second was stabbed on a side road outside a synagogue.

In a video filmed at the scene following the attack, writer James J. Marlow cited an eyewitness saying the suspect “had a very large knife ” and “went straight for the throat of an elderly Jewish man.”

He said the elderly man was taken to the hospital, adding: “There was a lot of blood on him.”

According to Marlow, the suspect went on to run further down the street before stabbing the second victim.

After the suspect was subdued, Jewish medics from Hatzola treated him, and then he was taken to a hospital with a police escort, Marlow said.

British leaders condemn ‘shocking’ attack

Leaders in the UK condemned the attack, the latest in a series of recent antisemitic incidents in the country.

“London’s Jewish community have been the target of a series of shocking antisemitic attacks,” said London Mayor Sadiq Khan. “There must be absolutely no place for antisemitism in society.”

The police have “stepped up high visibility patrols in the area,” Khan said.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer posted on social media, “The antisemitic attack in Golders Green is utterly appalling. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain. Thank you to Shomrim, Hatzola and the police for acting swiftly. Those responsible will be brought to justice.”

UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood wrote: “My thoughts are with the victims of the abhorrent attack in Golders Green this morning, and the Jewish community.”

She said she was “grateful for the work of the community and the police in apprehending the suspect,” and said she was “being kept updated on the situation.”

Israel: Starmer’s words ‘no substitute’ for fighting antisemitism

The attack was the latest in a spate of incidents in the UK targeting sites connected to the Jewish community, including the Hatzolah ambulances, as well as groups hostile to the Iranian regime.

The incident took place only some 500 yards from a memorial wall dedicated to Israelis killed by the Hamas terror group and Iranians killed by the Islamic Republic, which was targeted in an arson attack on Tuesday.

Additionally, the Finchley Reform Synagogue was targeted in an attempted arson attack earlier this month, followed by a separate attack on the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow.

The Foreign Ministry sharply criticized the British government following the attack, saying authorities can “no longer claim” antisemitism is under control.

“Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statements are no substitute for confronting the roots of antisemitism festering across [the] United Kingdom,” the ministry said in a post on X.

“British Jews should not need security patrols and emergency volunteers to live openly as Jews. Enough words. The UK must act decisively and urgently,” the ministry added.

President Isaac Herzog expressed fury over what he called an “unacceptable situation” for Jewish people in the Western world after two were stabbed in the north London suburb of Golders Green.

“I am horrified by yet another violent attack on Jews in broad daylight on the streets of London. We are praying for a speedy recovery for all those injured,” he said in a statement.

“Let me be clear: No Jew anywhere in the world should be a target because of their faith. In one of the great capital cities of the West, it has become dangerous to openly walk the streets as a Jew. This is an unacceptable situation. The British government and authorities must take urgent and immediate action before the next antisemitic attack occurs,” he said.

“We have raised the alarm over the rise in global antisemitism again and again. It’s time for the world to wake up and fight this vicious wave of Jew hatred with all possible means. We in Israel will not stay silent as our Jewish sisters and brothers are threatened and attacked around the world,” he added.

British Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis also lashed out at the British government following the attack, saying: “words of condemnation are no longer sufficient.”

“This must be a moment that demands 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 wrote on X.

Over the last month, counterterrorism officers have arrested more than two dozen people as they investigate the string of attacks.

The newly formed terror group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, which is believed to have links to Iran, has claimed credit for some of the recent incidents and others in Europe. Starmer has also suggested that state actors may be behind them.

Badenoch: UK seeing ‘epidemic of violence’ against Jews

Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch said after the stabbing: “Jewish people in our country are under constant attack. This is no longer a growing pattern. There is an epidemic of violence against Jewish people.”

“It is now a national emergency and needs to be treated as such by the Government and public authorities,” she said.

UK Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, a member of the opposition, suggested the attack may be linked to Iran, writing: “The Jewish community are not being properly protected from this hate. We have seen Iran sponsoring antisemitic attacks and Islamist extremism run rampant.”

“The government must urgently step up tangible actions against antisemitism, Iran and Islamist extremism,” he said.

Britain is home to some 280,000 Jews. The northwest London suburb of Golders Green is one of its epicenters, home to kosher restaurants, multiple Jewish schools and several dozen synagogues, as well as large Asian and Middle Eastern communities.

Britain’s chief rabbi has said that UK Jews are facing a campaign of violence and intimidation.

The number of antisemitic incidents reported across the UK has soared since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, according to CST. The group recorded 3,700 incidents in 2025, up from 1,662 in 2022.

In October 2025, an attacker drove his car into people gathered outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur and stabbed one person to death. Another person died during the attack after being inadvertently shot by police.