Two Jewish people were stabbed in north London on Wednesday, witnesses told CNN, in an incident that comes against the backdrop of a series of antisemitic attacks in the UK capital.
A man was detained and several emergency service vehicles, including an ambulance and police helicopter, attended the scene in Golders Green.
The man was “seen running along Golders Green Road armed with a knife and attempting to stab Jewish members of the public,” according to the local charity security group Shomrim, which provides local neighborhood watch and emergency responses. Shomrim added that it responded immediately, and that police deployed a taser once they attended.
The Metropolitan Police declined to immediately comment to CNN.
Large swathes of the road had been cordoned off by police by the time CNN reached the area.
And video circulating on social media appeared to show a man being detained by several police officers as well as two men in plain clothes.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament that the incident was “deeply concerning.”
“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,” he added.
London’s Jewish community has been targeted by a wave of antisemitic attacks in recent weeks. Last month, arsonists set fire to four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in Golders Green, north London. Four people were subsequently charged by police.
Then, weeks later, a synagogue and the former premises of a Jewish charity, both in north London, were attacked.
Another prominent Jewish organization – the Board of Deputies of British Jews – confirmed the attack had taken place and said they were working with the police “to understand what has happened and ensure a forceful response.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
