Immediate Response from Jewish Security Volunteers
"We got a phone call to the hotline saying that there's a man stabbing people and we sent our members sent to scene."
On Wednesday morning, a volunteer from the Jewish security group Shomrim was coordinating the dispatch of members to an incident that would later be officially classified as a terrorist attack by the Metropolitan Police.
Two Jewish men, aged 34 and 76, were stabbed in Golders Green, north London. Both victims are reported to be in stable condition. This attack follows a recent series of arson attacks targeting Jewish properties across London.
"We were first on scene, and we apprehended him together with the police,"said Ben Grossnass, a Shomrim volunteer.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers responded at 11:16 BST on Wednesday after receiving reports of stabbings on Highfield Avenue, a street branching off Golders Green Road.
Shomrim is a civilian volunteer organisation that conducts security patrols within Jewish communities in north London.
Details of the Attack and Eyewitness Accounts
Video footage shared on social media shortly after the incident shows an elderly man putting on a kippah while waiting at a bus stop. The attacker then lunges at him.
Tariq Aziz, a worker at a local pizza shop, assisted one of the elderly stabbing victims after noticing bleeding from his neck.
"He came to our shop and then I gave him a tissue and helped him, and then police came suddenly and arrest the guy,"Aziz told . He added that the 45-year-old suspect "wasn't running away" after the attack.
Aziz pointed out the suspect to police, describing him as "just walking down there with a knife."
Separate footage online shows the suspect approaching Metropolitan Police officers. One officer uses a Taser, causing the suspect to fall to the ground while ordering him to drop the knife.
While the suspect is on the ground, an officer is seen kicking him in the head as they attempt to disarm him.
The 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Police and Community Response
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley provided an update from the scene on Wednesday afternoon.
"He has a history of serious violence and mental health issues,"Sir Mark Rowley said.
Despite being heckled by a small group calling for his resignation, the commissioner affirmed the police's commitment to protecting the Jewish community.
"They confronted a man they believed to be a terrorist, who refused to show his hands he was violent and continue to pose a clear threat,"Rowley told reporters.
"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 while he continued to try to attack and stop them.
They will tell you they were simply doing their jobs, but without their bravery I dread to think what the outcome would have been. I also want to recognise the extraordinary voluntary first responders from the community, including the Shomrim."
About Shomrim
Founded in 2008, Shomrim is a volunteer organisation comprising just under 50 members. Its mission is to enhance security in areas of north London with significant Jewish populations.
According to its website, Shomrim has 40 volunteers on call 24/7 who actively collaborate with local residents to prevent crime and improve safety by working alongside police and other agencies.
Despite these efforts, Grossman told the BBC that the Jewish community has been experiencing a series of arson attacks, including an incident a few weeks ago when Hatzola ambulances, operated by a Jewish medical charity, were destroyed.
"We haven't got over yet from the previous incident, and this has happened, and we've had small incidents in the past three, four weeks, also targeted at synagogues and community centres,"Grossman said.
"It's just one after another and we [are] just crying out to the government to listen to us, feel the pain of the community. What's going on?
How much more can we take? We're still in shock from the previous instance and this one happened.
The government do have the resources to assist, we would very much welcome that rather than the words which unfortunately is not good enough at this time."
Government Reaction
Later on Wednesday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that the government will "strain every sinew" to ensure the safety of the Jewish community following the attack.
"I will not tolerate a situation where our Jewish citizens have to lead smaller lives"to maintain their safety, Mahmood said, pledging that "an enhanced police presence" will continue.
She added that the initial circumstances of the attack justify the Metropolitan Police's designation of the incident as terrorist-related.
Community Sentiment
Steven Bak, another Shomrim volunteer, said that local residents remain anxious but are committed to unity.
"We're all shocked,"Bak told the BBC.
"Our kids are in shock and fear and having a hard time at the moment, just going up, walking, going to the shops, going to synagogue.
So we have to pull together like we normally do, and just try and continue life."
