A Somali-born British man has stabbed two passersby in a predominantly Jewish area of North London.
This was stated in a statement released by the Metropolitan Police regarding the investigation into the incident, which is being classified as a terrorist attack.
„A 45-year-old Somali-born British man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder“, Scotland Yard said.
Two men, aged 34 and 76, were injured in the incident. They are in hospital and in a stable condition. According to The Daily Mirror, the victims are Shloime Rand and Moshe Shain.
According to police, the suspect in the attack on April 29 at 8:50 a.m. had an argument with a resident of a flat in southeast London. One person was slightly injured, and officers who arrived at the scene six minutes later were unable to locate the suspect.
He soon found himself in the north of the capital, in the Golders Green area, where he attacked people.
At around 11:23 a.m., he was subdued by police with the help of stun guns and detained.
“He was initially taken to hospital, but was later discharged and taken to a London police station, where he remains in custody,“ the police said.
As Scotland Yard's Chief Constable Mark Rowley said earlier, the detained man had a history of “serious violence and mental health issues“. According to The Times, the incident was declared a terrorist attack, mainly because members of the Jewish community were targeted.
The "Ashab al-Yamin" movement, also known as the "Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand", claimed responsibility for the attack. However, according to The Times, investigators have not ruled out the possibility that "Ashab al-Yamin" simply to take advantage of this media opportunity, without actually having any connection to the attack.
The movement has also claimed responsibility for other attacks on Jewish organizations, which have increased sharply since the start of the Iran war.
At the end of March, ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer organization “Hazzala“ were set on fire, and in early April an unknown man tried to set fire to the building of the charitable organization “Jewish Futures“.
In addition, suspicious objects were found near the Israeli embassy.