LONDON: A 45-year-old man was charged Friday with attempted murder in the stabbings of two Jewish men in London, the latest in a string of attacks that have sparked fear and anger in Britain’s Jewish community.
Police said Essa Suleiman faces two charges related to the attack in Golders Green. He also faces a third count of attempted murder over an incident elsewhere in the city earlier the same day that left a man with minor injuries.
Suleiman, a Somalia-born British citizen who lives in London, is due to make his first court appearance later Friday.
The British government pledged to tackle antisemitism after the stabbings in an area in north London that is an epicentre of Britain’s Jewish community. The victims, aged 34 and 76, were seriously injured. One has since been discharged from a hospital, and the other is in stable condition.
The stabbings followed a string of arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites in London in recent weeks.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that his government would increase security for the Jewish community and “do everything in our power to stamp this hatred out.”
Britain’s official terror threat level was raised from substantial to severe after Wednesday’s stabbing attack. Severe is the second-highest rung on a five-point scale and means intelligence agencies consider an attack highly likely in the next six months.
Police say Suleiman was referred in 2020 to the government’s Prevent program, which tries to steer individuals away from extremism. The police force said his file was closed later the same year, and didn’t disclose the reason for the referral.