Charged with attempted murder after the stabbing of two Jewish men on Wednesday in north London, a 45-year-old man appeared before a judge on Friday, as the United Kingdom raised its terrorist threat level after a series of attacks against the Jewish community.
Published on: 05/01/2026 - 08:49 Modified on: 05/01/2026 - 1:44 p.m.
British police announced on Friday May 1 the indictment of a suspect after the stabbing attack on two Jewish men on Wednesday in north London.
“A 45-year-old man has been charged” with “two counts of attempted murder” and for “possession of a sharp object in a public place,” police said in a statement.
The suspect, Essa Suleiman, is a British national born in Somalia, the statement said.
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“History of violence” and “psychological problems”
During his appearance on Friday before a judge at Westminster Court in London, he appeared with a swollen face after his violent arrest. The police notably used an electric pulse gun.
He simply confirmed his identity and address, a psychiatric facility. The police had previously cited his “history of violence and psychological problems”, and indicated that he had been reported in 2020 to the government program for the prevention of extremism. His case was closed the same year.
At the end of the hearing, the judge ordered his continued detention, before his next appearance at the Old Bailey Criminal Court on May 15.
The United Kingdom on Thursday raised its terrorist threat level by one notch, to “severe”, citing both the anti-Semitic attack that occurred the day before and an increase in the “Islamist and far-right threat”.
Wednesday's attack is part of a series of fires and attempted fires which, since the end of March, have notably targeted synagogues in several neighborhoods in the northwest of the capital, where a large Jewish community lives.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government would increase security for the Jewish community and “do everything in our power to stamp out this hatred”.
Also read: Keir Starmer booed in London after new anti-Semitic attack
The two men injured in the attack, Shloime Rand and Moshe Shine, are aged 34 and 76, respectively. The youngest has been released from the hospital and the second remains hospitalized "in stable condition", according to police.
With AFP and Reuters
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