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The suspect accused of stabbing two men in Golders Green has been identified as Essa Suleiman - a 45-year-old man who had previously been referred to the government’s counter-terror programme.
The 45-year-old, a Somali-born man who came to Britain legally as a child in the 1990s, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder on Wednesday after two British Jewish men were attacked in north London.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley revealed in a statement at the scene that the suspect, who is now understood to be Suleiman, has a history of serious violence and mental health issues.
It emerged on Thursday that the suspected knifeman, believed to be a former translator, had been referred to the counter-extremism scheme Prevent in 2020. His case was closed in the same year.
open image in gallery The Golders Green attack suspect has been named as Essa Suleiman ( Social media )
Suleiman has previously been listed as living in Camberwell, south London, and reportedly worked as a security guard at a school in Swindon.
Two Jewish men – 34-year-old Shloime Rand and 76-year-old Moshe Ben Baila, named locally as Moshe Shine – were taken to hospital after being stabbed in the suspected terror attack.
The stabbings have prompted calls for urgent action to protect the Jewish community in the UK, as well as criticism of Sir Keir Starmer’s government for not doing enough to tackle antisemitism.
open image in gallery Sir Keir Starmer visits the Jewish community in Golders Green after the stabbing attack ( Getty )
The father of Shloime said his son was “obviously targeted” because of how he was dressed. Shloime’s father, who did not wish to give his first name and only wanted to be known as Mr Rand, told The Independent that he wants the prime minister to do more to protect the Jewish community.
Sir Keir was heckled by demonstrators as he arrived at a Jewish community ambulance centre in Golders Green on Thursday. A group of around 100 people could be heard chanting “Keir Starmer, Jew harmer” and held posters with the same slogan.
open image in gallery Forensic officers at the scene in Golders Green ( AP )
In a statement from 10 Downing Street, Sir Keir acknowledged that “people are scared, scared to show who they are in their community, scared to go to synagogue and practice their religion”. He said that the government would strengthen the visible police presence in Jewish communities and fast track legislation to introduce powers to tackle domestic threats posed by foreign states such as Iran.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called for “meaningful action” to tackle the “root causes” of antisemitism and warned that “words of condemnation are no longer sufficient”.
This is a developing story. More to follow...