A man has been arrested after stabbing two Jewish men in Golders Green, a London neighbourhood with a large Jewish population.
The man was detained by members of the Jewish security group Shomrim on Wednesday afternoon before police officers arrested him.
The two men who were stabbed are believed to have been seriously injured and were being treated by the Jewish volunteer ambulance service Hatzola.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “The antisemitic attack in Golders Green is utterly appalling.” He thanked the Jewish groups and the police for “acting swiftly” and promised that “those responsible will be brought to justice”.
“Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.”
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This comes amid a surge in antisemitic attacks in Britain. There have been numerous arson attacks and incidents investigated by the Metropolitan Police as antisemitic hate crimes in the past month.
On 15 April there was an arson attack at a synagogue in Finchley in north London.
There were two more suspected arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in the capital over the next few days.
Antisemitic attacks are understood to have increased in number after the US-Israeli attack on Iran began earlier this year.
Dan Jarvis MP, the security minister, said in an official statement on 20 April that the government “has already committed an additional £5m ($6m) for this financial year to support the deployment of specialist officers across the country to support vulnerable communities.”
He added: “The government’s commitment to supporting British Jews is an enduring one. We are taking firm steps to root out antisemitism wherever it appears across public life – from our public services to our universities, charities and beyond.”