Authorities in the United Kingdom are treating the stabbings of two Jewish individuals in north London as a “terrorist incident,” prompting a thorough investigation.

King Charles III and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have both voiced their strong disapproval of the “horrific” attacks that took place in Golders Green, an area known for its significant Jewish community.

This recent knife attack comes on the heels of several arson incidents targeting Jewish locations throughout London, including a previous episode in Golders Green last month where two ambulances associated with a Jewish organization were deliberately set ablaze.

Law enforcement officials have apprehended a 45-year-old man, a British citizen of Somali descent, on charges of attempted murder.

The suspect, who reportedly also attempted to assault police officers with a knife, was initially taken into custody after being discharged from the hospital.

The Metropolitan Police of London have indicated that this individual is also suspected of involvement in another altercation on Wednesday morning in south-east London, where one person sustained minor injuries.

The two victims, aged 76 and 34, were in a stable condition in hospital.

Speaking from the scene, Metropolitan police commissioner Mark Rowley said the suspect had “a history of serious violence and mental health issues”.

Urgent government meeting

Local resident Moshie, 20, said he had been “shocked” by the incident.

It feels like the violence is “escalating,” he told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency. “Whenever I look around I have one thing in mind. Does this person have a knife? That’s our life now.”

Starmer convened an emergency meeting of senior ministers and officials, telling broadcasters later he would meet on Thursday with “criminal justice agencies to make sure that we have effective and swift justice in these cases”.

“The government is taking action in relation to security, cohesion, extremism,” he added.

“But of course it’s our responsibility to coordinate the immediate response here to this appalling attack, to ensure security is in place.”

Monarch ‘deeply concerned’

King Charles III, who is on a state visit to the United States, said he was “deeply concerned” in a statement issued by Buckingham Palace.

The spate of arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites in north London in recent weeks have heightened security fears.

“After attacks on synagogues, Jewish institutions, community ambulances and now Jews targeted in Golders Green, the UK government can no longer claim this is under control,” Israel’s foreign ministry said on X.

Assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, said the stabbings had been declared “a terrorist incident”.

He noted his officers and the capital’s Metropolitan police were “working with the security services to ensure we have a full intelligence picture”.

The incident unfolded shortly after 11am local time, when the Shomrim Jewish neighbourhood watch group first reported that a knife-wielding man was “attempting to stab Jewish members of the public”.

Shomrim members helped detain the suspect before police arrived and subdued him using an electroshock weapon. The response of the Jewish volunteers earned widespread praise.

The victims were also treated at the scene by Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer ambulance service that was targeted in an attack last month.

The stabbings follow a deadly assault on a synagogue in Manchester last October on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur that killed two people and seriously injured three.

Other incidents have followed last month’s ambulance attack, including an attack on the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow as well as the premises of a Jewish charity.

Last week, the Finchley Reform Synagogue was targeted.

‘Why do we have to live in fear?’

“Why do we have to live in fear? We’re doing our best to live our lives as normal as possible, but every day is a struggle,” Shomrim volunteer Steven Bak told AFP.

About 150 people protested on Wednesday evening (local time) close to where the attack happened, and were addressed by Richard Tice, the deputy leader of anti-immigrant party Reform UK.

Ephraim Mirvis, Britain’s chief rabbi, told reporters the community was “strong” and “resilient” but “such attacks need to stop now”.

“Zero tolerance — that’s what our community wants,” he said.

Police have arrested 28 people in total over the various attacks — including Wednesday’s — which have taken place since the US and Israel initiated a war against Iran on 28 February.

Monitoring groups have reported a surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents in the UK, particularly since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in 2023.

The Community Security Trust (CST) charity recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2025, the second-highest total ever reported to CST in a single calendar year.

It was an increase of 4 per cent from the 3,556 anti-Jewish hate incidents recorded by CST in 2024, and 14 per cent lower than the highest ever annual total of 4,298 antisemitic incidents reported in 2023. CST recorded 1,662 antisemitic incidents in 2022, and 2,261 in 2021.

Attacks have also risen worldwide.

In Australia, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) reported that during the twelve-month period from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025, there were 1,654 anti-Jewish incidents logged by volunteer Community Security Groups (CSGs), official Jewish state roof bodies, and the ECAJ.

For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.