Body-worn footage released by the Metropolitan Police captures the moment a terror suspect was tasered and pinned to the ground after stabbing two Jewish men in Golders Green, north London.
Footage Released by Police
The video, made public by the Metropolitan Police, shows a 45-year-old Somali-born British national brandishing a knife as he advanced towards officers. Two police officers discharged their Tasers, causing the suspect, clad in a blue puffer jacket and carrying a rucksack, to collapse onto the road.
In the footage, officers can be heard urgently shouting commands such as “get down on the ground” and “take the Taser”. Once the suspect was on the ground, one officer knelt on top of him while another continued to deploy the Taser, as more police converged on the scene.
The standing officer repeatedly yelled “drop the knife” and “drop the f****** knife” as the suspect struggled on the floor. While the suspect was pinned face down in the middle of the road, officers appeared to jostle him aggressively, their voices growing increasingly panicked.
Knife Removed by Security Team
A plain-clothed individual, believed to be a member of the Jewish community security team, eventually managed to wrench the knife from the suspect’s hand. Following this, the suspect was handcuffed behind his back while still lying in the road and was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Criticism of Police Conduct
Green Party leader Zack Polanski shared a post on X that criticised the police conduct seen in the footage. The post accused officers of “repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head” when he was already incapacitated by the Taser.
The police watchdog has confirmed that it has not received a referral regarding the nature of the arrest. The suspect remains in custody as the investigation continues.
