Terror threat level raised to ‘severe’ in UK after stabbing of two Jewish men

LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago

THE UK TERRORISM threat level has been raised to “severe” in the wake of the Golders Green stabbings, meaning a terror attack is “highly likely”.

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre announced the decision today, the day after two Jewish men were stabbed in north London and in the wake of a spate of attacks in Jewish neighbourhoods in recent weeks.

The body, which is based in MI5 but makes independent assessments, previously set the threat level at “substantial”, meaning an attack was “likely”.

The man suspected of carrying out the knife attack in north London was previously referred to the UK government’s counter-extremism programme, police have said.

The 45-year-old was born in Somalia and moved to the UK legally as a child in the 1990s, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said.

Police in London said he was known to the UK’s Prevent programme and that a referral had been made in 2020, which was closed in the same year.

In a statement this afternoon, the police said: “Given the investigation remains ongoing, we will not be providing any further information in respect of this matter at this time and we remain focused on securing justice for the victims of this attack.”

Police across the UK have stepped up patrols in response to the double stabbing that saw two Jewish men – Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Ben Baila, 76, named locally as Moshe Shine – taken to hospital.

The suspect was detained and arrested by officers in the Golders Green area following the suspected terror attack. He is a British citizen, police have said.

UK prime minister Keir Starmer said the country’s criminal justice response to the attack in north London must be “swift, agile and visible” as extra funding was announced to increase security for Jewish communities.

In a meeting with representatives including Mark Rowley, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, in Downing Street, he said the government and agencies must “come together very quickly” to take the necessary action.

Meanwhile, a further £25 million (€28.85 million) will be invested to boost police patrols and protections around synagogues, schools and community centres, taking the total commitment this year to £58 million (€66.94 million).

Legislation creating proscription-like powers to pursue people and organisations acting on behalf of malign state-sponsored groups will also be “fast-tracked” in the coming weeks, ministers have said in the wake of the attack.

The stabbings are the latest in a series of attacks on Jewish sites over recent weeks and have prompted calls for urgent action and accusations the government has not done enough to tackle antisemitism.

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Mahmood signalled she would consider banning the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an Iranian military group, as she faced questions about the new laws.

Speaking to broadcasters this morning, she said it would be inappropriate to confirm such a move before the laws are on the statute books, but that she would be looking at “all organisations that would then fall within the purview” of the legislation.

“Just to reassure you, the only reason I’m not giving a wider commentary on who this will include is because we would never give any commentary on organisations that we are considering for either our proscription regime … or indeed, this new regime,” she told Sky News.

“I expect to be making decisions in the very near future about the groups that we will be designating as state-linked.”

Shloime Rand, the younger victim of yesterday’s attack, told ITV: “People are really afraid, people are uncomfortable walking in the streets.

“People are blaming obviously the Government. You know they aren’t doing anything about what’s going on for the past few months.”

The UK’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis called for “meaningful action” to tackle the “root causes” of antisemitism while the Board of Deputies of British Jews said antisemitism must be “confronted, punished and deterred with the full force of the state”.

Starmer vowed that the government would address the causes of antisemitism ahead of the meeting with criminal justice agencies today to discuss the attack and said he would visit Golders Green “as soon as possible”.

But the prime minister is facing pressure to go further, including calls to ban pro-Palestinian marches.

Jonathan Hall, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said it was currently “impossible” for such marches not to “incubate” antisemitism.

Describing recent attacks on Jews as a “massive national security emergency”, he called for a “moratorium” on pro-Palestinian marches.

Mahmood rejected this characterisation, telling BBC Breakfast: “I think the phrase ‘national emergency’ has particular connotations.

“It means that for a period, you change your democracy, and you disapply some elements of our democratic society. I don’t believe this is where we are today.

“But for me this is an absolutely pressing priority. It is an emergency for me as Home Secretary to respond to.”

But Hall’s comments were echoed by the chief rabbi, who said “hate marches” together with “purposeful anti-Israel demonisation” had contributed to “a tone of antisemitism” in the UK.

Opposition politicians have also joined calls to ban the marches, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch saying it was “quite clear they are used as a cover for violence and intimidation against Jews”.