British Jews have been the target of several terrorist attacks in recent weeks with two men, aged 76 and 34, being targeted in the stabbing in north-west London
The attack on Wednesday was the latest to target the Jewish community (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The mum of a stabbing victim who was targeted in an antisemitic terrorist attack has shared an update about her son.
Police raced to Golders Green, in north-west London, after two men – aged 76 and 34 – were stabbed on Wednesday morning. The men were treated by medical services and the Metropolitan Police later confirmed the incident was a terrorist attack.
A 45-year-old British man who arrived in the UK as a child from Somalia has been arrested. The suspect was seen walking down the street, carrying a blade, and was apprehended after being shot with a stun gun.
Shloime Rand’s mum told the BBC that the 34-year-old victim was now in a “stable condition”. She added: “As a mother, I’m pretty horrified that these things could happen on the streets of London, in an innocent community where we try our best not to hurt anyone.
“Shloime was walking on the street minding his own business. I was able to see him yesterday. Thank God, he was conscious the whole time. We hope he will be home before Shabbat.”
A police cordon surrounding the scene of the terror attack on two Jewish men in Golders Green was lifted this morning. Parts of Highfield Avenue, Beverley Gardens and Golders Green Road in north-west London had been sealed off following the stabbings on Wednesday, but the roads were opened again by 7am on Thursday. Traffic has resumed along Golders Green Road in both directions.
Body-worn footage of the moment the suspect was Tasered and pinned to the ground by police has since been released. The video, released by the Metropolitan Police, shows a 45-year-old Somali-born British national holding a knife as he advanced towards police officers.
Two officers fired Tasers and the suspect, who was wearing a blue puffer jacket and a rucksack, eventually collapsed to the ground. They could be heard urgently shouting “get down on the ground” and “take the Taser”.
Once the suspect was on the video, one of the officers knelt on top of him, while the other continued to use his Taser and more police surrounded them. The officer, still on his feet, repeatedly yelled “drop the knife”, “drop the f****** knife” while the suspect struggled on the floor.
While the suspect was pinned face down in the middle of the road, the officers appeared to aggressively jostle him sounding increasingly panicked. A plain-clothed man, possibly a member of the Jewish community security team, eventually wrenched the knife from the suspect’s hand.
The suspect then had his hands handcuffed behind his back while still lying in the road, and was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The police watchdog has confirmed it has not received a referral in relation to the nature of the arrest.
