Two wounded in London terror stabbing against Golders Green Jews, HAYI takes responsibility

The perpetrator has been arrested under suspicion of attempted murder.

The 45-year-old knifeman ran along a road attempting to stab Jewish residents, according to the Shomrim neighborhood watch, before its volunteers and police detained him.

"These were not armed officers and they feared he was carrying an explosive device," said the head of London's Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley. "Without their bravery I doubt to think what the outcome could have been."

The two victims, Nachman Moshe ben Chaya Sarah, 76, and Moshe ben Baila, 34, were treated by Hatzalah at the scene and are in stable condition at the hospital. No officers were wounded.

The suspect suffered cardiac arrest, according to a volunteer, and was treated at the scene. Rowley said the suspect has a history of serious violence and mental health issues.

Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI), an alleged Iranian front group that has claimed to have orchestrated multiple attacks on British Jewish, Israeli, and Iranian dissident sites since March, said that it was responsible for the stabbing in a video released on Islamic Regime-affiliated channels.

“Zionists were targeted by our lone wolves in the Golders Green Area of London. The heroic act left two Zionists critically wounded and on the brink of death,” read a statement in the video.

“Historically, the Jews are the killers of Jesus Christ, and today the Zionists are the killers of innocent women and children.

“We call upon all free people in the world, especially Muslims, to carry out qualitative operations in defense of humanity, occupied Palestine, al-Aqsa Mosque, and the prisoners. Furthermore, anyone who is able to kill Zionists should not hesitate.”

HAYI called on Americans to kill US President Donald Trump, claiming that Christians like attempted White House Correspondents Dinner assassin Cole Allen had joined their operations.

Rowley subtly acknowledged HAYI’s claims, saying the police are aware that foreign organizations and hostile states are paying individuals to commit acts of violence, but that he cannot comment on any live investigations.

Residents told The Jerusalem Post that the incident occurred near the Netzach Yisroel Synagogue.

British author Jonathan Harounoff told The Post that he was having breakfast in Golders Green when he saw a dozen rescue vehicles racing to the scene.

“Not a normal existence for British Jews here in 2026, or any year,” said Harounoff. “Jewish communities in England are under attack.

“It’s devastating to see the place where I was born and raised, where I spent my formative years, where I prayed and played football, where I was bar mitzvahed, become a hotbed of Jew hatred and virulent terrorism. There have been enough wake-up calls.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in the Parliament on Wednesday that the attack was “deeply concerning.”

He added that the UK must be “absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offenses, the likes of which we’ve seen too much recently.”

Starmer has since called a Cobra meeting: a high-level UK government crisis management committee convened to coordinate responses to major national emergencies, such as terror attacks.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called it an “appalling antisemitic attack” and stressed that the Jewish community in Britain must be able to live in safety and free from fear.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan praised the heroism and actions of the Shomrim and Hatzalah volunteers.

“London’s Jewish community has been the target of a series of shocking antisemitic attacks,” Khan said on X/Twitter. “There must be absolutely no place for antisemitism in society.”

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said on X that Jewish people in the UK were under “constant attack. “

“This is no longer a growing pattern. There is an epidemic of violence against Jewish people,” said Badenoch. “It is now a national emergency and needs to be treated as such by the Government and public authorities.”

Board of Deputies of British Jews Board president Phil Rosenberg said in a video at the scene that arson attacks on the community had evolved into stabbings.

He called on British authorities and society to act against the incitement that was facilitating such actions.

“We are angry. We are determined to confront this. We don’t just want to see protection, we need to see prevention,” said Rosenberg. “We need to see the price being raised on the antisemites, just as they are trying to raise the price of being Jewish.”

World Zionist Organization chairman Yaakov Hagoel, who was in London at the time of the attack, called on Starmer and Khan to act against antisemitism in the UK.

“Incitement against Jews can cost precious blood, and we are seeing its results right now, here on the streets of London,” said Hagoel.

“We are working together with the authorities to eradicate this terrible phenomenon, and to allow Jews all over the world to be able to walk safely and peacefully,” he added.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was horrified by “yet another violent attack on Jews in broad daylight on the streets of London,” and prayed for a speedy recovery for all those injured.

“Let me be clear: no Jew anywhere in the world should be a target because of their faith,” he said. “In one of the great capital cities of the West, it has become dangerous to walk the streets openly as a Jew.

“This is an unacceptable situation. The British government and authorities must take urgent and immediate action before the next antisemitic attack occurs.”

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel said that the attack was the “inevitable result of policies that embolden and legitimize Islamist elements.”

“Tolerating unchecked incitement under the guise of ‘political criticism’ directly undermines the safety of the Jewish community and the basic right of visibly Jewish individuals to attend synagogue in their own neighborhood without fear,” said Haskel.

“The British government must recognize its responsibility to protect Jewish citizens and take firm action against the rising tide of antisemitism, understanding that anti-Israel rhetoric can escalate into physical violence, terror attacks in the streets, and the murder of innocent people,” she added.

Israeli Aliyah Minister Ofir Sofer said that, as the security situation for British Jews continued to deteriorate, the State of Israel was working on projects to encourage Jews to immigrate.

“The attack that occurred in Britain is serious and worrying, and reflects the rise in antisemitism alongside ongoing helplessness on the part of the British government,” he said.

The incident comes a few days after a Monday arson attack against a memorial wall for Iranian protesters killed by the Islamic Regime in the Golders Green neighborhood.

The arson was the latest in a spate of attacks on Jewish, Israeli, and Iranian dissident sites that began in the same area.

On March 23, four Hatzalah ambulances in Golders Green were set ablaze.

On April 15, arsonists attempted to attack the Finchley Reform Synagogue by placing bottles with accelerants next to the synagogue and throwing a brick at it.

Later that day, an arson attempt was made against the office of Iran International, with suspected arsonists throwing a burning container into the car park of the news outlet. The fire died out on its own.

A building that was once the premises of a Jewish group, still with the organization’s name on the window, was the target of an arson attempt last Friday.

Three bottles containing accelerants were placed next to the building and set alight. The bottles failed to ignite, but minor damage was caused to the shopfront.

That same day, jars filled with unknown substances were discovered in the vicinity of the Israeli embassy. Alleged Iranian front group HAYI said that they used drones to drop hazardous materials on the embassy, but the Met found them to be benign materials.

Last Sunday, the Kenton United Synagogue was firebombed, causing minor smoke damage to a room, but no injuries.