Police on duty outside Golders Green tube station in London, Thursday, April 30, 2026, near the spot where two people were recently stabbed in the Golders Green neighbourhood, which has a large Jewish community.
Alistair Grant/AP
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Alistair Grant/AP
LONDON — A 45-year-old man was charged with attempted murder Friday in the stabbing deaths of two Jewish men in London, the latest in a series of attacks that have stoked fear and anger in Britain’s Jewish community.
Essa Suleiman was remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to face two counts of charge relating to the attack in Golders Green. He has also been booked for a third case of attempt to murder in an incident that took place elsewhere in the city on the same day, in which a person was slightly injured.
Police have described the Golders Green attack as a terrorist act.
Suleiman, a Somalia-born British citizen living in London, did not file a plea. His case was transferred to the Central Criminal Court for a hearing on May 15.
Police say Suleiman was referred to the government’s prevention program in 2020, which tries to keep people away from extremism. The police force said her file was closed later that year, and the reason for the referral was not disclosed.
The British government pledged to tackle anti-Semitism after a stabbing in an area of ​​north London, the center of Britain’s Jewish community. The victims, aged between 34 and 76, were seriously injured. One has been discharged from the hospital and the condition of the other is stable.
The stabbings follow a series of arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites in London in recent weeks.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government would increase protection for the Jewish community and “do everything in its power to end this hatred.”
Britain’s official terror threat level was raised from substantial to severe following Wednesday’s stabbing attack. Critical is the second-highest rung on the five-point scale and means intelligence agencies consider an attack extremely likely in the next six months.
The government said the change was not only due to the Golders Green attack, but also due to the increased “Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threat from individuals and small groups based in the UK”.
