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Britain raised its national terror threat level to “severe” on Thursday in the wake of the antisemitic stabbing attack in Golders Green, warning that another terrorist attack is now considered “highly likely” in the next six months.
The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) increased the U.K. National Threat Level from “substantial” to “severe” a day after two people were stabbed in north London in what police have formally declared a terrorist incident.
Officials said the decision was not based solely on the Golders Green attack, but reflects a broader rise in extreme right-wing terrorism in Britain.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called Wednesday’s violence an “abhorrent, antisemitic attack” and said the elevated threat level would be a source of concern for many, “particularly amongst our Jewish community, who have suffered so much.”
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Police said officers were called to Highfield Avenue in the Barnet borough at about 11:16 a.m. Wednesday following reports of multiple stabbings.
Two men, ages 76 and 34, were treated at the scene for stab wounds before being taken to a hospital, where they remain and are “being looked after,” Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said.
On Thursday, police identified the suspect as 45-year-old Essa Suleiman. Suleiman is a British national born in Somalia who had a “history of serious violence and mental health issues”, police say.
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The Home Office said the threat-level increase comes against a backdrop of rising terrorism in the U.K.
On Thursday, protesters gathered on Downing Street to voice concerns that not enough has been done to protect the Jewish community.
In response to the attack and a recent rise of antisemitic arson attacks in London, the government announced an additional £25 million in funding to protect Jewish communities, bringing total support this year to £58 million. Officials said the money will be used to boost police patrols and protective security at synagogues, schools and community centers.
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The funding will also support an expansion of Project Servator, which deploys specialist and plainclothes officers trained to spot suspicious behavior and identify people preparing to commit serious crimes.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the British government cannot credibly claim to be combating antisemitism unless it also confronts what he described as “explicit incitement against the Jewish state.”
“Hate slogans and anti-Semitic marches in the streets of London aren’t ‘free speech’. They are incitement,” he wrote on X. “They bring terror directed against Jews.
They must be banned. The phrase ‘Globalise the Intifada’, means killing Jews everywhere. It must be banned.”
“This is what the British government must immediately do to fight antisemitism. Otherwise, it’s just more empty words.”
Taylor said the attack has now been formally classified as terrorism and that counterterrorism officers are working with security services to establish the full circumstances and develop a complete intelligence picture.
“Whilst I must stress this investigation is at an early stage, we are working quickly to understand exactly what happened,” Taylor said.
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A statement posted on X by Shomrim, a volunteer neighborhood watch group in Orthodox Jewish communities, said the suspect was seen “armed with a knife” on Golders Green Road and was detained by members before police arrived.
Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said officers “swiftly Tasered and arrested the suspect before he could cause further harm,” adding that investigators are “considering all possible motives” and will maintain a visible police presence in the area.
The U.K. was last at the “severe” threat level in November 2021, following the Liverpool Women’s Hospital bombing and the killing of lawmaker Sir David Amess, before it was lowered to “substantial” in February 2022.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence, calling attacks on Jewish residents “an attack on Britain,” while London Mayor Sadiq Khan said there is “no place for antisemitism” in the city.
Fox News’ Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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