A man has been charged with attempted murder following the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, North London. Essa Suleiman, 45, faces two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place, stemming from the incident on Thursday, April 30.
Suspect also charged in separate Southwark attack
Suleiman, from Camberwell, South London, was additionally charged with attempted murder in connection with a separate stabbing in Southwark earlier that same day. He is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today.
The suspect, who arrived in the UK from Somalia as a child in the 1990s, was previously referred to the government’s Prevent anti-extremism program in 2020, but the case was closed that year.
Victims identified
The victims have been identified locally as Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Ben Baila (Moshe Shine), 76. Mr. Rand has since been discharged from the hospital and described his survival as a “miracle.” Mr. Shine remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Terror threat level raised to severe
In the wake of the attack, the UK terrorism threat level has been raised to “severe,” meaning an attack is considered “highly likely.” Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited the scene on Thursday, where he was met with heckling, and later pledged increased funding for Jewish security services and swifter sentencing for antisemitic crimes.
Counter-terrorism officers are leading the investigation and have urged the public to avoid speculation to allow the legal process to proceed.
