The two men stabbed for ‘being Jewish’ in Wednesday’s terror attack in Golders Green were much-loved members of their community, friends and family have said.
Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76, were allegedly targeted by a crazed 45-year-old attacker with a history of violence shortly after 11am.
Both victims remain in hospital in a stable condition, with a police probe continuing into the incident which has been confirmed to be terror-related.
Mr Rand’s sister, who preferred not to be named, said he remains ‘in shock’ after the attacker’s knife came within centimetres of rupturing his vital organs.
The Orthodox Jew had left morning prayer to go to work in the property and mortgages sector mere moments before he was pounced on in the street.
‘It’s appalling, but also not surprising,’ his sister told the Daily Mail. ‘We get targeted by antisemitism all the time.
‘My brother is a very hard-working, proud citizen of this country who contributes to society. He was casually walking down the street and was pounced on by this terrorist.
‘The only thing that provoked the attacker was the way he looked. He was attacked just because he’s Jewish.
‘Thankfully he’s going to recover, but we’ve been told that if the knife had hit a centimetre to the right or to the left, it would have ruptured his vital organs.
Moshe Shine, 76, was one of two Jews stabbed in a north London terror attack on Wednesday morning
The knifeman was arrested by police and remains in custody this evening
A photo of the scene earlier today, with an ambulance parked on the road alongside several police cars
Two Jewish men are stable in hospital after the attack
Officers kick the suspect in the head after Tasering him. They were helped by a passer-by (right)
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‘He’s in shock, on oxygen, being stitched up, but he will survive this intense trauma.’
She said her brother is a joint US-British citizen, and that the US Government had already been in touch with her family – but nothing from the UK Government.
The other innocent victim, Mr Shine, was stabbed in a horrifying moment captured in CCTV footage while waiting for the bus home from morning prayer. Locals say he suffered serious neck injuries.
The pensioner has been described as a ‘really lovely man, who would go about his business not bothering anyone’.
One friend, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: ‘It was devastating. I was part of the call out and later realised.
‘He was waiting for the bus home after morning prayer. It was horror. Being a Jewish person, we were all aghast.
‘We’re not feeling safe in this country at the moment. It’s purely antisemitic. They’re all the same, and we’re only being attacked because we are Jewish. Simple as that.’
He called Mr Shine a ‘quiet man’ who would go to the local synagogue in Hendon to pray every day.
‘Moshe was a really lovely man. He was pretty quiet and would go about his business not bothering anyone.
‘I’d see him at congregation every day and he was a firm part of the community.
‘He is a single man and went to the local synagogue but he has family in the area.
‘I spoke to his nephew who told me he was in serious condition. One of his wounds is very serious…in the neck.’
He added: ‘My daughter in law was actually chased by the attacker. She was taking my grandson out on Golders Green Road when the fella came out before he did the second stabbing.
‘And she ran into a shop and protected herself by locking the door.’
The incident marked the latest in a series of attacks which have left Jews living in London ‘scared and afraid’.
Earlier this month, just minutes away from the scene of today’s attack, four Jewish community ambulances were firebombed. Police are also investigating arson attacks on two synagogues and a memorial wall.
Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley was met with cries of ‘resign and shame on you’ from bystanders this evening as he insisted his force was doing ‘everything we can do to protect people in difficult times’.
Addressing crowds after the police chief, Labour MP for Golders Green Sarah Sackman was also subjected to cries of ‘shame on you’ and ‘go to hell’ from on-lookers.
Ms Sackman said: ‘What we’ve seen on the streets of Golders Green today is appalling. The state of attacks this community has endured over the past few weeks are terror – they send shockwaves of fear into this community.’
The knifeman was known to both police and the Government’s Prevent deradicalisation programme prior to Wednesday’s attack.
It is understood that the man, who has not been named, had previously been in prison for violence. He remains in police custody this evening after being arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya (HAYI) claimed responsibility for the attack just hours after the suspect’s arrest, but this claim has been treated with scepticism.
Police believe the attack was carried out by a lone wolf with no ties to any hostile state.
They are not linking the stabbings to the previous attacks on the Jewish community in London, which Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya has also claimed responsibility for.
Mr Moshe was stabbed while waiting for a bus home after attending morning prayer
Ben Grossnass, a coordinator from Shomrim, whose volunteers were first on the scene
Ido Berman, 38, and Isaac Cohen, 41, have been hailed as heroes after confronting the attacker
Speaking this evening, Mr Rand’s sister said it is ‘sad’ that innocent Jewish citizens are being targeted on the streets of London.
She said: ‘These attacks are happening on upstanding citizens who mean no harm. They just want to go about their daily routine and mean no harm to anyone.
‘It’s sad that people who are just contributing members of society are the ones getting hit, just because they’re Jewish.’
Other friends of Mr Moshe, who suffered injuries to the neck, described the attack as ‘sickening’.
Yecottien Benouaich, 40, who lives in the local area, said: ‘Moshe is my best friend.
‘I came here as soon as I saw the sickening video of him being attacked. I am in shock.
‘I have been trying to call him since and he’s not picking up. I hope he’s okay.
‘He was just standing by the bus stop when he was stabbed.
‘He has lived here all his life and then he is stabbed while standing by the bus stop just because he is Jewish.
‘We go to the local synagogue together every evening. It is disgusting. I never thought anything like this could happen in my area.’
More than 100 protestors descended on Golders Green Road on Wednesday evening chanting against the PM and shouting ‘shame on Sadiq Khan’. Among those speaking to demonstrators was Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, Laila Cunningham, the party’s candidate for London mayor, and Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary.
Earlier, a spokesman for King Charles – who is currently on a state visit to the United States – praised the bravery of the witnesses who intervened.
‘His Majesty is being kept fully informed and is naturally deeply concerned, in particular about the impact for the Jewish community,’ the spokesman said. ‘His thoughts and prayers are with the two individuals who were injured and offers his heartfelt gratitude to those who so selflessly rushed to their aid.’
Video footage obtained by the Daily Mail shows the suspect rushing at a man waiting by a bus stop and frantically knifing him before two hero bystanders run to help.
Later, the suspect is seen in a standoff with two police officers before one of them shoots him with a Taser before stamping on his head. A brave passer-by then jumps on the suspect and helps the officers restrain him.
Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley was met with cries of ‘resign and shame on you’ from bystanders at the scene in Golders Green on Wednesday evening as he insisted his force was doing ‘everything we can do to protect people in difficult times’
An aerial photo of the Met commissioner addressing reporters
Protestors took to the streets of Golders Green in the aftermath of the incident
The held banners pleading with the Government to take action in a bid to stop antisemitism in the UK
After the knifeman’s attack, volunteers from Shomrim, which conducts civilian security patrols through Jewish communities, descended on the scene ‘in a minute and a half’.
Its coordinator, Ben Grossnass, said: ‘We got a phone call to the hotline at 11.20am this morning. I saw a lot of shock in the street and the attacker was having CPR, I think he went into cardiac arrest after being tasered. It is fight or flight, I come out and deal with my emotions afterwards.’
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she would ‘strain every sinew’ to keep Jewish people safe following the ‘horrifying’ incident. She said it was too early to say if the knifeman had links to Iran.
The attack took place around 11.15am on Highfield Avenue – just minutes away from where four Jewish community ambulances were firebombed last month. Police are also investigating arson attacks on two synagogues and a memorial wall.
Keir Starmer called the stabbings ‘deeply concerning’ and said his Government were ‘absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offences, the like of which we have seen too much recently’.
After vowing to visit the site of today’s attack ‘as soon as possible’, the PM also argued more funding is needed ‘to give the level of protection that is needed’ to the Jewish community.
Israel’s foreign ministry however said Sir Keir’s statements are ‘no substitute for confronting the roots of antisemitism’ and ‘the UK Government can no longer claim this is under control’.
Chief Rabbi Mirvis said ‘words of condemnation are no longer sufficient’ and called for ‘meaningful action’ to tackle the ‘root causes of antisemitism’.
‘We had hoped, and further to the response to previous incidents, that something meaningful would be done,’ he said.
‘Now there’s been yet another incident, and so we want to see, in addition to words and in addition to financial support to secure our community which we enormously appreciate, and the excellent work of our police forces, we want the root causes to be tackled and not just the symptoms.’
He said there has been ‘a sustained effort to terrorise the Jewish people’ and said while the community is ‘very strong’ and ‘resilient’, such incidents must end.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said Shomrim volunteers stopped the suspect with a vehicle before police arrived to arrest him.
One witness, who gave their name as Shlomoh, told the Daily Mail: ‘I arrived at the scene to see two police officers and a Shomrim member Tasering and hitting the suspect.’
The victim of the bus stop stabbing staggered into a pizza takeaway where he was helped by a member of staff. Tariq Aziz said: ‘He came to our shop and then I gave him a tissue and helped him, and then police came suddenly and arrested the guy.’
Yecottien Benouaich, 40, who lives in the local area, described the elderly victim as ‘my best friend’ and said he had been ‘stabbed for being Jewish’.
Meanwhile, Eli V, 42, a friend of the younger victim who did not want to give his last name, called him a ‘terrific guy’ who lived locally.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan called the attack ‘appalling’ and condemned the ‘series of shocking antisemitic attacks’ in London. Today’s chaos took place yards away from a large Jewish care home and the headquarters of a major Jewish charity.
The attack has prompted fresh claims that the Government is failing to tackle antisemitic violence.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said: ‘Jewish people in our country are under constant attack. This is no longer a growing pattern.
‘There is an epidemic of violence against Jewish people.
‘It is now a national emergency and needs to be treated as such by the Government and public authorities.’
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, described the stabbing as ‘yet another appalling antisemitic attack’.
‘The Jewish community are not being properly protected from this hate,’ he said.
‘We have seen Iran sponsoring antisemitic attacks and Islamist extremism run rampant. The Government must urgently step up tangible actions against antisemitism, Iran and Islamist extremism.’
Sarah Sackman, the MP for Finchley and Golders Green, said she was meeting the Home Secretary ‘imminently’ to discuss the attack in her constituency.
An armed policeman at the scene of the stabbings, which happened at around 11.45am
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch meets members of the local Jewish community
Two Jewish men are stable in hospital after the attack
A video still showing a police car next to where one of the men was stabbed
‘I have been made aware of a serious stabbing in Golders Green. The suspect has been detained,’ she said in a statement.
She thanked Shomrim for its ‘vital work’ detaining the suspect.
‘The attacks on British Jews are an attack on Britain itself. It is unconscionable that Jews are being targeted in this way’, she added.
Andrew, a Jewish man who lives in Golders Green, rushed to the scene after hearing about the attack.
‘The man attacked an elderly gentleman by the bus stop five minutes after stabbing another Jewish man near the synagogue,’ he said.
‘It’s not a surprise something like this has happened. We are living with antisemitism and they are burning our ambulances and harassing us every day.
‘It’s a real shame Jewish people are having to live in fear in London and a lot of people are moving away. It has only become worse in the last few years and it’s not being helped by the Government.’
Specialist officers from Counter-Terrorism Policing are leading the investigation and working with the Met to establish the full circumstances and any links to terrorism.
Head of Counter-Terrorism Policing Laurence Taylor said: ‘Whilst I must stress this investigation is at an early stage, we are working quickly to understand exactly what happened.
‘Thank you to those who were in the area at the time and supported the response to this terrible incident.’
Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who leads policing in the area, said: ‘Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific attack. We are grateful to officers who swiftly Tasered and arrested the suspect before he could cause further harm.
‘We are aware of the significant distress and concern this incident is likely to cause in the face of a number of incidents in the local area. A suspect is in custody, and investigators are considering all possible motives.
‘Officers will remain at the scene for some time to carry out further enquiries, speak to local people and offer reassurance.’
