Golders Green attack latest: Essa Suleiman, 45, charged with attempted murder after two Jewish men stabbed

The Metropolitan Police chief said police did not have the power to ban protests.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Sir Mark Rowley said police cannot take away the right to protest but can render a planned protest static.

“We don’t have the power to ban protests, if someone wants to protest, it will happen,” he said. “All we can do is contain and condition.”

He added that banning the march to make it static was “too high a bar” and declined to say whether future planned pro-Palestinian marches would have conditions imposed on them.

“We are looking carefully at whether this would be justified,” he said.

“But I think it takes the support of all communities for British Jews to step back from that. A lot of times people conflate the different views that people will have about what’s going on in the Middle East and then visit criticisms of British Jews. It’s not up to them, they’re just British citizens.”

The Metropolitan Police chief has explained why he chose to publicly criticize Green Party leader Zack Polanski for his social media posts about the arrest of a suspect following the Golders Green attack.

In a rare intervention on Thursday, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley clashed with Mr Polanski after he retweeted an X post accusing officers of “repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head” when he was already incapable of administering a shock.

Sir Mark Rowley said he was “disappointed” and added that the post was “inaccurate and misinformed”.

On Friday Sir Mark told LBC he was still “shaken” hours after the officers’ arrest and explained why he chose to publish his letter to Mr Polanski: “I’m not interested in politics, but if a respected person…says or does something that I see risks undermining the confidence of my officers to take action…then I would have to intervene in that.”

“That’s what I did with that letter.”

The government will take action to potentially ban pro-Palestinian protests “where necessary”, a government minister has said.

Justice secretary Alex Davies Jones told Sky News the right to protest was “fundamental” but added that some protests had been “hijacked” by people “trying to create and sow division and hatred”.

Asked whether the government would temporarily ban pro-Palestinian protests following the Golders Green attack, he told Sky News: “We will take action if necessary and the home secretary banned a march just last month to prevent that dangerous intimidation and threat that I mentioned.”

He added: “The government will take action where necessary and will also ensure that we protect people’s rights to freedom of protest to ensure that it reflects the views of particular individuals in our country.”

Police have charged a 45-year-old man with attempted murder after two Jewish men were stabbed in north London on Wednesday.

Essa Suleiman has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a sharp object in a public place in connection with the incident in Golders Green, the Metropolitan Police said.

Suleiman, of Camberwell, south London, was also charged with attempted murder in relation to a separate incident on Great Dover Street in Southwark earlier the same day.

He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

Suleiman was born in Somalia and came to the UK legally as a child in the 1990s and was reported to the government’s counter-extremism program Prevent in 2020 but the case was closed the same year.

Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said he was “very concerned” about the sustainability of the police’s current approach to protecting London’s Jewish communities following the double stabbing in Golders Green.

Sir Mark told Times Radio on Friday morning: “I am very concerned about the sustainability of our current approach, which relies on drawing resources from across London to strengthen local teams.

“Obviously, the horrific attack took place on Wednesday. That evening I put forward a proposal to the Government about what should be done to sustain this with a dedicated, enhanced neighborhood policing presence focused on Jewish communities and some extra specialist resources to support them, such as more firearms officers, the best parts of the 300 extra officers we have looked at, and I hope we can reach a solution in the funding talks with the Government soon.”

“It’s good that they’ve made some interim funding announcements, but I need some immediate updates so we can recruit and maintain this.”

He also warned that “we are facing something of an epidemic of antisemitism in society” and said “we need upstream work to combat these attitudes that are so widespread in society”.

The Independent’s political correspondent Athena Stavrou reports:

A government minister has doubled down on the government’s pledge to take action to protect the Jewish community following the Golders Green attack.

Justice secretary Alex Davies Jones told Sky News he “understands the strength of the prime minister’s feeling” after he was cornered in the stabbing on Thursday.

“I understand the power of this feeling. “I have every sympathy with a community reeling in fear, grief and trauma,” he told Sky News.

“I was in Manchester’s Heaton Park after the attack and we were met with a very similar level of anger and pain. The community is tired too. I’ve had enough words spoken to me directly that we need to take action.”

“The time for thought and prayer is over.”

Detectives have warned the public not to speculate about the details of an alleged attack in Golders Green on Wednesday after a man was charged with attempted murder.

Essa Suleiman, 45, was charged with attempted murder following the incident in which two people were injured.

He also faces charges related to a separate stabbing and gun possession on the same day.

Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of London Counter Terrorism Police, who is leading the investigation, 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.”

The Independent’s political correspondent Athena Stavrou reports:

Jewish communities in the capital are “under threat” after the UK’s terror threat level was raised to “serious”, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said.

Sir Mark Rowley said police were dealing with “symptoms of a disease” of antisemitism that had been “developing for many years”.

Asked if the Jewish community was currently under attack, Sir Mark told LBC: “They are absolutely absolutely under threat. The ongoing series of arson attacks and then this terrible attack on Wednesday is very bad for the victims and their families. It is very much aimed at Jewish communities.”

He added: “I think we need to understand what the police are dealing with and what we are trying to protect communities against. [is] symptoms of a disease, perhaps an epidemic, of anti-Semitism that has been accumulating for years.”

Essa Suleiman, 45, was charged with attempted murder following a stabbing attack in Golders Green, north London, which injured two people and was declared a terrorist incident.

He also faces charges related to a separate stabbing and gun possession on the same day.

In response, the UK raised its terror threat level to “serious”, meaning an attack is likely, and authorities are urging the public to “stay vigilant, but not panic”.

A Somali-born British national has been charged with attempting to stab two Jewish men to death in Golders Green, north London.

Essa Suleiman, 45, was due to appear in court after the charge was announced on Friday.

The victims, 34-year-old Shloime Rand and 76-year-old Moshe Ben Baila, were hospitalized with stab wounds on Tuesday morning.