What began as a bright spring morning in Golders Green quickly turned into a scene of terror as a lone attacker, armed with a knife, targeted Jewish men in the heart of London's Jewish community. The suspect, described as heavy-set and dressed in a blue puffer jacket, was captured on home security cameras stalking the quiet residential streets near a synagogue on Highfield Avenue at around 11:15 AM.
The First Attack
The footage shows the attacker jogging past well-kept family homes, apparently pursuing a Jewish man in traditional religious dress. Before he could close the distance, another Jewish man, also in traditional attire, unwittingly stepped into his path. The attacker struck Shloime Rand, 34, who desperately called for help. Witness Moishe Geller recounted: 'The terrorist was walking up Golders Green and suddenly lunged at Mr Rand outside the shul. Mr Rand didn't seem to know what had happened at first. He went back inside the shul and called the Jewish police. Only when he put his hand to his chest, and saw blood, did he realise that he had been stabbed in the chest.'
The Second Assault
Just five minutes later, the attacker struck again, this time targeting 76-year-old Moshe Shine, who was waiting at a bus stop 400 yards away. CCTV footage records the elderly man adjusting his kippah while looking for his bus, shopping bag in hand. Without warning, the attacker grabbed him by the collar and delivered several vicious blows to his head, face, and neck. The force of the attack caused both men to stumble into the road, shaking the bus stop and knocking the victim's kippah to the ground. Witnesses reported that the suspect casually walked away with the knife in his hand, leaving Mr Shine with blood pouring from his neck.
Community Response
Local Jewish community group Shomrim received multiple reports of a man running along Golders Green Road armed with a knife. Volunteers helped detain the suspect and alerted others to the danger. Isaac Cohen, who was in a car with another man, said: 'We said, "what are you doing?", and we understood something was wrong. So we turned the car and we went after him, we tried to save the people. We screamed "be careful".' They pursued the attacker for 10 to 15 minutes, warning those in his path. Daniela, a 29-year-old mother from Hendon, was shopping in the area when she heard screams: 'I was walking to the butcher and the next thing I know we hear screaming, "He's got a knife – run!" A man in a car told me someone had been stabbed. That's when we knew to run. It was terrifying.' She and a group of mothers took shelter in a bookshop as the attacker passed by.
Police Action
Met Police officers confronted the suspect, who refused to comply with instructions and appeared to be carrying a weapon. Commissioner Mark Rowley stated: 'These were not armed officers, and they feared that he was carrying an explosive device. Using only their training, their courage and their Tasers, they managed to detain him.' The suspect, a 45-year-old man with a history of serious violence and mental health issues, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Victims' Condition
Both victims remain in hospital in a stable condition. A close friend of Mr Shine described his wounds as 'very serious... in the neck. It was devastating.' Mr Rand's sister said her brother was lucky to survive: 'If the knife had hit a centimetre to the right or to the left, it would have ruptured his vital organs. He's in shock, on oxygen, being stitched up, but he will survive this intense trauma.' She added: 'He was attacked just because he's Jewish. It's appalling, but also not surprising – we get targeted by anti-Semitism all the time.'
