Former marines hired to protect synagogues and Jewish schools in wake of Golders Green attack
Synagogues and Jewish schools will reportedly be guarded by former royal marines and Parachute Regiment veterans as antisemitic violence grips the country.
It follows the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, north-west London, on Wednesday and a series of attacks in Jewish neighborhoods in recent weeks.
A series of events led to the government’s decision on Thursday increase the terrorist threat The level is severe, meaning another attack is now “highly likely.”
The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, which is based at MI5 but makes independent assessments, had previously set the threat level at “substantial”, meaning an attack was “likely”.
The deployment of former sailors is believed to have cost tens of thousands of pounds, according to The Times.
Met Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said Jews faced a “terrible Venn diagram” from all sides and warned that anti-Semitism was a growing threat to their safety due to social media. Times.
He also announced an urgent appeal for funding to recruit 300 police officers to protect the Jewish community, with plans to create a special police group to patrol north-west London.
Essa Suleiman, a 45-year-old Somali-born British citizen who came to the UK legally as a child in the 1990s, was charged following the stabbings.
He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday and was charged with three counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a sharp object in a public place.
The court heard the defendant was staying at an address in south-east London that provides supported accommodation for people leaving a secure hospital. The area is covered by the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, which confirmed he was under the care of mental health services earlier this week.
Announcing the charges on Friday morning, Commander Helen Flanagan, head of London Counter Terrorism Police, said: “Our thoughts are with the victims involved and specialist officers continue to provide support to them as they continue to recover.
“We are committed to achieving justice for the victims, and now that one person has been charged, I urge everyone to avoid further speculation regarding this case so that justice can take its course.”
