GOLDERS GREEN, LONDON — The Metropolitan Police arrested a 45-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder on April 29, 2026, after two Jewish men were stabbed on Golders Green Road in London in what police described as an act of terror. The victims, a 34-year-old man and a 76-year-old man, were hospitalized with knife wounds.

The suspect was detained by members of Shomrim, a Jewish neighborhood watch organization, and arrested by officers who used a stun gun. The suspect also tried to stab police officers, none of whom were injured. The two stabbing victims were treated at the scene by Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer ambulance service. Surveillance camera footage showed a man wearing a kippah standing by a bus stop before a person with a knife lunged at him.

Metropolitan Police chief Mark Rowley said it was "another horrendous act of violence directed against our Jewish communities." Bystanders shouted "shame on you" and "resign" at Rowley when he made a statement at the scene. He said the suspect, whose name has not been released, had "a history of serious violence and mental health issues."

Counterterrorism officers are investigating whether the stabbings are linked to a series of arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites in London that began on February 28, 2026, including a probe into a potential Iranian link, though detectives said it is too soon to determine if the stabbing is connected. Police have arrested 26 people in connection with those arson attacks on Jewish community sites in north London.

The first arson attack, in late March 2026, saw four ambulances belonging to Hatzola set ablaze in Golders Green. Subsequent incidents targeted the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, the premises of a Jewish charity, and the Finchley Reform Synagogue. Several of the recent arson attacks have been claimed online by a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, which also posted a claim of responsibility for the April 29 stabbing. Security experts have said the group may be a flag of convenience rather than a coherent organization, and its claims should be treated with caution.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a meeting of the government's emergency committee and vowed to "deal with the roots of antisemitism and extremism." "Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain," he said. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said: "This must be a moment that demands meaningful action from every institution, every community, every leader and every decent person in our country."

The Community Security Trust charity recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2025, up from 1,662 incidents in 2022. Britain's Jewish community numbers about 300,000.