Man remanded in custody over stabbing of two Jewish men in London

A man accused of carrying out a knife attack that left two Jewish men wounded in Golders Green has been remanded in custody after appearing in court on attempted murder charges linked to Wednesday’s stabbings in north-west London.

Essa Suleiman, 45, is alleged to have tried to kill the two victims, aged 34 and 76.

Prosecutors say he was armed with a black-handled knife during the assaults in Highfield Avenue, Golders Green. He is also charged with the attempted murder of a third man in a separate incident earlier that day at a property in Great Dover Street, Southwark, in south London.

Mr Suleiman, who was born in Somalia and came to Britain legally as a child in the 1990s, appeared in the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for the first hearing in the case.

Mr Suleiman, from Camberwell in south London, did not enter pleas to three counts of attempted murder and one count of possessing a knife in a public place.

He stood with his hands on his hips as the judge ordered that he be held in custody, showing no emotion during the proceedings.

Before charges were brought, Scotland Yard said Mr Suleiman had been referred to Prevent, the government’s anti-extremism programme, in 2020, but that the case was closed later that same year.

Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, which is leading the inquiry, said: “Our thoughts remain with the victims involved and specialist officers continue to provide them with support as their recovery continues.

“We are determined to get justice for the victims and now that a person has been charged, I would urge everyone to avoid any further speculation in relation to this case so that justice can run its course.”

A forensic officer works at the scene of the Golders Green attack where two Jewish men were stabbed

Green Party leader apologises over social media post

The leader of the UK’s Green Party has apologised for what he described as “sharing a tweet in haste” after reposting a claim that police officers violently kicked the Golders Green stabbing suspect in the head after he had been incapacitated.

Zack Polanski came under fire from the Metropolitan Police chief after resharing another user’s social media post.

The original message on X alleged that officers had been “repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head” after he had already been incapacitated by a Taser.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said in a letter to the Green leader that he was “disappointed”, and described the post as “inaccurate and misinformed”.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Mr Polanski “disgraceful” and said he was “not fit to lead any political party” after he reposted criticism of the officers involved.

The Green Party initially responded to the commissioner’s letter by saying its leader “doesn’t know the full picture and knows it was a very difficult situation for the authorities.”

In a statement today, Mr Polanski issued a fuller apology.

“Everyone in leadership has a responsibility for lowering the temperature at a time of such tension, and I apologise for sharing a tweet in haste,” he said.

“Police responses to emergency situations such as these do need later reflection in the right forums, but I accept that social media is not the appropriate channel for doing so.

“I have invited Mark Rowley to meet with me to discuss the police response and the wider issues raised in his letter.”

Yesterday, the UK terrorism threat level was raised to “severe” by the UK’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, meaning a terror attack is “highly likely”.