Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood members of Shomrim, the Jewish community security organisation, in Golders Green following yesterday's attack Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images
Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood members of Shomrim, the Jewish community security organisation, in Golders Green following yesterday's attack Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images
Golders Green attack suspect named as Essa Suleiman, 45
Vikram Dodd
The suspect arrested by police over the Golders Green stabbing attacks is Essa Suleiman, aged 45.
He was arrested by the Metropolitan police in the north west London suburb on Wednesday shortly after two Jewish men were stabbed, and is currently in custody.
He has not officially been named, but several new organisations, including The Guardian, have been aware of his identity.
Golders Green attacker. Photograph:
Suleiman was born in February 1981, is of Somali heritage, and is understood to have come to Britain as a child.
He is described as a British national and the Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley says the suspect, whom he did not name, has a history of “serious violence” and mental health issues.
The incident is being treated as terrorism and police have been in discussions about the case with lawyers at the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorises criminal charges in England and Wales.
Keir Starmer has called on people to “open their eyes to Jewish pain” in the wake of the Golders Green terror attack, and accused anyone marching alongside supporters of Hamas of “venerating the murder of Jews”. The prime minister made his strongest ever remarks on antisemitism after visiting the area of the attacks for a meeting with emergency workers and community leaders.
The prime minister’s presence was greeted by heckling from Stop the Hate protestors, a group campaigning against antisemitism, with one branding him a “traitor” for failing to keep Jews safe. In a statement in Downing Street, Starmer said new powers were needed to protect the Jewish community after the stabbing attack, which was “not a one-off”. Two Jewish men were hospitalised with knife wounds.
The suspect arrested by police over the Golders Green stabbing attacks is Essa Suleiman, aged 45. Suleiman was born in February 1981, is of Somali heritage, and is understood to have come to Britain as a child.
Tory former prime minister Theresa May said she agreed with chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis’s warning that “words of condemnation are no longer sufficient” after the north London double stabbing. May wrote on X: “Yesterday’s attack in Golders Green, and the escalating attacks of recent months, have shown, beyond doubt, that we must do more to protect our Jewish community.”
Keir Starmer held a roundtable with first responders and leaders from Hatzola as well as Shomrim, a volunteer Jewish security group. He was joined by home secretary Shabana Mahmood and Sarah Sackman, MP for Finchley and Golders Green, as well Metropolitan Police commissioner Mark Rowley.
London mayor Sadiq Khan has said that “Jewish Londoners understandably and rightly want to see more action, not words.” In a statement on social media, the London mayor said that the Metropolitan police has surged its policing presence in Barnet over the last four weeks, with plans in place to deploy additional policing over the next month.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who visited Golders Green after the attack yesterday, said the community there does not feel the government is doing enough to protect Jewish people. “You could feel the fear that was on the streets,” she told BBC Radio London.
John Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, said British Jews are at “breaking point” and feel they can no longer live safely in the UK. “Don’t forget, everyone in the Jewish community is fleeing from somewhere,” the Labour peer told Sky News.
Jonathan Hall, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, has called for a pause in pro-Palestinian protests where “public demonisation and hatred is incubated” in response to the Golders Green stabbings, arguing that “demonisation of Jews and Israels and Zionists will lead to a terrorist attack”. The barrister acknowledged that the motivation of the 45-year-old suspect had yet to be established, but said that he believed there was a “social responsibility” to reduce the risk of attacks on the Jewish community, and said that antisemitism represented “a national security emergency”.
Several of the UK’s leading imams have come together to “utterly condemn” the Golders Green attack. The leaders, including the chief Iman of Scotland, Sayed Razawi, alongside Jewish leaders signed the Drumlanrig Accords last year, which aims to strengthen Jewish-Muslim relationships in the UK.
Keir Starmer has called on people to “open their eyes to Jewish pain” in the wake of the Golders Green terror attack, and accused anyone marching alongside supporters of Hamas of “venerating the murder of Jews”.
The prime minister made his strongest ever remarks on antisemitism after visiting the area of the attacks for a meeting with emergency workers and community leaders.
His presence was greeted by heckling from Stop the Hate protestors, a group campaigning against antisemitism, with one branding him a “traitor” for failing to keep Jews safe.
In a statement in Downing Street, Starmer said new powers were needed to protect the Jewish community after the stabbing attack, which was “not a one-off”. Two Jewish men were hospitalised with knife wounds.
“Antisemitism is an old, old hatred, history shows that the roots are deep, and if you turn away, it grows back,” he said. “Yet, far too many people in this country diminish it. They either don’t see it or they don’t want to see it.”
He strongly criticised people who march alongside supporters of Hamas without calling it out. However, the government has stopped short of endorsing the idea of a pause on pro-Palestine marches, which has been suggested by Jonathan Hall, the independent reviewer on terrorism.
Golders Green attack suspect named as Essa Suleiman, 45
Vikram Dodd
The suspect arrested by police over the Golders Green stabbing attacks is Essa Suleiman, aged 45.
He was arrested by the Metropolitan police in the north west London suburb on Wednesday shortly after two Jewish men were stabbed, and is currently in custody.
He has not officially been named, but several new organisations, including The Guardian, have been aware of his identity.
Golders Green attacker. Photograph:
Suleiman was born in February 1981, is of Somali heritage, and is understood to have come to Britain as a child.
He is described as a British national and the Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley says the suspect, whom he did not name, has a history of “serious violence” and mental health issues.
The incident is being treated as terrorism and police have been in discussions about the case with lawyers at the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorises criminal charges in England and Wales.
Asked about reports the suspect in the investigation had previously been referred to Prevent, Starmer says the programme was reviewed and changes were made after the Southport attacks.
After his statement, he was also asked whether he should say sorry after one of the victims of the double stabbing in Golders Green said he felt let down by the government.
The prime minister replied:
Can I start by saying I absolutely understand the high levels of anxiety and concern that there are, reflected in the various reactions over the last days. I completely understand. That anxiety has been there for a very long time, and the appalling terrorist attack yesterday made it worse.
He pointed to Government actions including Wednesday’s Cobra meeting and a roundtable with criminal justice agencies, enhanced funding for security.
“We’re looking at what further measures we can take on protests, particularly in relation to chants, to banners and the repeated nature of protests,” he said.
“We’re of course looking at what more needs to be done in health and education, and we will fast-track powers to deal with malign state actors. So there is a lot that is being done.
“Of course we need to do everything we can, but we do also need to ensure that this is something the whole country is prepared to call out, to see and to fight against.”
The prime minister says British values “are not a gift handed down generation-to-generation, but something we earn each day”.
Anti-semitism is an “old, old hatred”, Starmer says, adding that if you turn away, it grows back.
“It is racism, extreme racism and it has left a minority community in this country scared, intimidated and wondering if they belong,” he adds, referring to anti-semitic slogans and chants at marches.
He says:
Of course, we protect freedom of speech and peaceful protest in this country, but if you are marching with people wearing pictures of paragliders without calling it out, you are venerating the murder of Jews.
If you stand alongside people who say, ‘globalise the Intifada’, you are calling for terrorism against Jews, and people who use that phrase should be prosecuted.
Attack was not a one-off but part of a series of attacks, says Starmer
Keir Starmer is now speaking from No 10 and says that “the truth is this attack is not a one-off, there has been a series of attacks.”
He says people are scared to show who they are in their communities, to go to synagogues or send their Jewish children to school.
“Nobody should live like this in Great Britain but Jews do,” he says, adding that the community security services worked with police to prevent a “greater tragedy” yesterday.
The prime minister says the government will prevent hate preachers from entering the country, work with the justice system to speed up sentencing for anti-semitic attacks and use powers to tackle state-sponsored terrorism.
Tory former prime minister Theresa May said she agreed with chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis’s warning that “words of condemnation are no longer sufficient” after the north London double stabbing.
May wrote on X: “Yesterday’s attack in Golders Green, and the escalating attacks of recent months, have shown, beyond doubt, that we must do more to protect our Jewish community.
“Without its Jews, Britain would not be Britain. In the first instance we must now see better policing of marches which have created a dangerous atmosphere of intimidation and violence.”
Keir Starmer told Jewish people they belong in the UK in a social media post after visiting Golders Green.
The prime minister posted on X: “Yesterday’s terror attack wasn’t an isolated incident, it was the latest attack on the Jewish community for being Jewish.
“Today I spoke with volunteers, first responders from Shomrim and Hatzola to thank them for their bravery. I know that this is a deeply worrying time for the whole community.
“My Government is taking immediate action. We’ve increased enhanced funding for police patrols and protective security and we’re fast-tracking legislation to deal with malign state actors.
“My message to Jewish people is this: you belong here, and we will do everything we can to keep you safe.”
The prime minister told volunteers at a Jewish community ambulance centre in Golders Green how much he “appreciated” their response to the suspected terror attack, PA reports.
Speaking to the group at Hatzola, Keir Starmer said the attacks “could have been a lot worse” if it had not been for the work of the emergency personnel.
He added that he felt it was “really important” for him to come to Golders Green the day after the attack.
As the prime minister left the compound he was heckled by protesters organised by Stop the Hate, with one shouting that Starmer was a “traitor”.
Here are some images from the newswires of Keir Starmer in Golders Green this afternoon.
The prime minister faced chants of “Keir Starmer, Jew harmer” from protesters as he visited the area to meet emergency services who responded to the knife attack in north London yesterday.
Prime minister Keir Starmer and Metropolitan police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley meet first responders from Shomrim during a visit to Golders Green. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images
Starmer shakes hands with a volunteer from Shomrim. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images
Starmer speaks to volunteers from Shomrim. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/Reuters
Protesters hold up placards during Starmer’s visit. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/Reuters
