Latest news on antisemitic arson attack targeting Jewish community ambulances 03:51
A man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Wednesday after two people were stabbed in a heavily Jewish neighborhood of North London, according to British authorities. Police declared it a terrorist incident and said they were looking into possible connections with a spate of recent antisemitic attacks.
London's mayor said the "appalling attack on two Jewish Londoners" was part of a "series of shocking antisemitic attacks" in the British capital, and he said police would increase patrols in the area.
The suspect was seen running along a main road in Golders Green, long home to a large Jewish population, "armed with a knife and attempting to stab Jewish members of the public," according to a statement byShomrim, a community group that runs a volunteer neighborhood watch program.
The group said members "responded immediately and detained the suspect," until police "attended and deployed a taser" to take the man into custody.
The London Metropolitan Police said counterterrorism officers were leading the investigation and they confirmed a 45-year-old man had been placed under arrest on suspicion of attempted murder.
A few hours after the stabbing, the head of the Metropolitan Police's counterterrorism unit, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, confirmed during a news conference that the attack "has now formally been declared a terrorist incident."
"We are also working with our partners in the security services to ensure we have a full intelligence picture and one of the lines of inquiry is whether this attack was deliberately targeting the Jewish community in London," he said. "That community are strong, but they will be incredibly concerned to see and hear what has happened today, particularly in the wake of other incidents in recent weeks."
Through an intermediary, a shadowy group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia claimed responsibility for the attack. The group has claimed it was behind several recentantisemitic attacks in London and Europe, and a representativerecently told CBS Newsit would continue to target "U.S. and Israeli interests worldwide."
"Shocking antisemitic attack"
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Both victims of the stabbing, men aged 34 and 76, were in stable condition, the police said. They were initially treated by Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer emergency response organization, according to Shomrim.
Another local group, the Community Security Trust, said in asocial media postthat there "has been a knife attack today in Golders Green. The suspect has been arrested," offering thanks to Shomrim, Hatzola and the London police "for their swift response."
Speaking in parliament Wednesday, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the attack as "deeply concerning."
"There is now a police investigation and I think we all need to do everything we can to support that ... and be absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offenses, the like of which we've seen too much recently," he said.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, in a social media post, confirmed "an appalling attack on two Jewish Londoners in Golders Green."
"London's Jewish community have been the target of a series of shocking antisemitic attacks. There must be absolutely no place for antisemitism in society," said Khan, adding that police had "stepped up high visibility patrols in the area."
The attack comes after a string of incidents over the past monthtargeting Jewish communitiesin north London, including an arson attack thatsaw several of Hatzola's ambulances destroyedin the same area.
After another incident, an attack on a synagogue in northwest London on April 18, the U.K.'s chief rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, said the "sustainedcampaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish communityis gathering momentum."
On Tuesday, after anattempted arson attackin the same area, the head of policing in northwest London said: "We recognize that this incident will heighten concerns in the Golders Green area, where residents have already faced a series of attacks."
"Since last month's attack in Golders Green, we have stepped up our work to reassure communities," he said. "This includes armed police patrols as well as deployments of officers from Project Servator, who are specially trained to spot anyone who may be planning or preparing to commit criminal acts."
Latest news on antisemitic arson attack targeting Jewish community ambulances 03:51 A man was arrested on suspicion of attempted ...
