Suspect arrested after two Jewish people stabbed in London

British police have arrested a man after two Jewish people were stabbed in north London, following a series of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in the area.

Police, who arrested the 45-year-old suspect after stopping him with a taser gun, said that the two victims of the attack, which took place on Wednesday in the London area of Golders Green, were both in a stable condition in hospital.

The suspect was arrested after he was seen running with a knife “attempting to stab Jewish members of the public”, the Shomrim Jewish neighbourhood watch said on Wednesday on social media.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said that the suspect, whom police are questioning on suspicion of attempted murder, had a history of serious violence and mental health issues.

Later on Wednesday, the pro-Iranian group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), which has said it was behind other attacks in London and across Europe, claimed responsibility on social media for Wednesday’s stabbings.

Police have previously said they were assessing such online claims, but have not confirmed their authenticity.

“We know that some individuals are being encouraged, persuaded or paid to commit acts of violence on behalf of foreign organisations and hostile states,” Rowley said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the stabbing as “deeply concerning”, telling lawmakers that a police investigation was under way and “we all need to … be absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offences, the like of which we have seen too much recently”.

‘Shocking antisemitic attacks’

The incident, which took place in an area that is home to a large Jewish community, was reported on social media by the Community Security Trust, a charity providing safety advice and security to Jewish groups and buildings such as synagogues.

“We are working closely with the police and urge anyone with information to contact the police, Shomrim and CST immediately,” said the charity.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned the attack on “two Jewish Londoners” in a post on social media, thanking “the emergency services and heroic volunteers… for their swift response”.

“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,” he added.

He was referring to a spate of arson attacks on synagogues and community sites in north London in recent weeks.

The first attack in late March saw four ambulances belonging to Hatzola set ablaze in Golders Green.

Other incidents have followed, 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.

Police have arrested 26 people for the various attacks, launched since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran on February 28.

Many of the incidents have been claimed by HAYI, whose name means the Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand.

On Tuesday, Britain summoned the Iranian ambassador over what it called the Iranian embassy’s “unacceptable and inflammatory” comments on social media.

Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the British government needed more than just words to face down such “hatred”, while Israeli President Isaac Herzog called for urgent action, saying it had become “dangerous to openly walk the streets as a Jew” in London.