The recent stabbing incident in Golders Green has led to the identification of a 45-year-old British national with Somali roots as the prime suspect.
This troubling event unfolded around 11:16 a.m. on Highfield Avenue, an area predominantly inhabited by Jewish residents. Two men, aged 76 and 34, were attacked and are currently in stable condition after being rushed to a local hospital.
Witnesses from the Jewish neighbourhood watch group Shomrim reported that the suspect was seen running with a knife, targeting members of the Jewish community. One individual was assaulted while leaving a synagogue, while the other was attacked at a bus stop.
In a disturbing turn of events, the attacker also made attempts to strike police officers responding to the scene, though fortunately no injuries were sustained by the officers.
Both local and armed police units, alongside the London Ambulance Service, quickly arrived at the scene. Shomrim volunteers played a crucial role in detaining the suspect before police used a Taser to subdue him.
Initially transported to a hospital due to fears he might be carrying explosives, the suspect was later cleared and placed in custody at a London police station, facing charges of attempted murder. Investigations are ongoing at a residence in south-east London.
🚨WATCH: The moment police detain a suspected terrorist in North West London pic.twitter.com/9YtOIeleKh
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“Counter Terrorism Policing has now formally declared this incident a terrorist attack. This is another horrendous act of violence directed at our Jewish communities, which follows the targeted series of arson attacks, and it will rightly shock and anger people across London, in the immediate communities, and across the country,” Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said during a press conference.
During the same press conference, police released further information about the suspect. “A 45-year-old man, who is a British national born in Somalia, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. His condition has been stable after hospital treatment, and he is now at a London police station in custody,” a counter-terrorism spokesman commented.
Counter Terrorism Policing is spearheading the investigation in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police and other security agencies to form a comprehensive understanding of the situation. The inquiry will include scrutinizing the suspect’s electronic devices as well as any links to extremist organizations.
Currently, a claim of responsibility from a group associated with Iran, known as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, is being evaluated, although no confirmed ties exist at this time.
