A peaceful spring morning in Golders Green shattered into chaos as a knife-wielding man targeted members of London’s Jewish community, stabbing two men and sparking a terror investigation.
The Stalking Begins
Security camera footage captures a heavy-set man in a blue puffer jacket and backpack jogging along Highfield Avenue near a synagogue at 11:15 a.m. He trails a Jewish man in traditional dress, who remains unaware of the danger. Moments later, another man in similar attire crosses his path, igniting a violent spree that hospitalized two victims.
First Attack on Shloime Rand
CCTV shows the attacker lunging at Shloime Rand, 34, outside a synagogue on Golders Green Road. Partially hidden by a tree, the footage reveals Rand calling for help as the knifeman strikes before he breaks free. Witness Moishe Geller described the scene: “The attacker walked 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 realize he had been stabbed in the chest. He then called the ambulance.”
Vicious Assault on Moshe Shine
Five minutes later, at 11:20 a.m., the suspect strikes again 400 yards away. CCTV records 76-year-old Moshe Shine adjusting his kippah at a bus stop, shopping bag in hand. The attacker grabs him by the collar, delivering brutal blows to his head, face, and neck. They stumble into the road, knocking Shine’s kippah to the ground, which blows away in the breeze as bystanders rush to help.
Tariq Aziz, a pizza shop worker nearby, assisted Shine, who bled heavily from at least two stab wounds: “He came to our shop and then I gave him a tissue and helped him.” Aziz pointed out the suspect to arriving police, noting he walked away casually with the knife.
Witnesses Raise Alarm
Members of the public spotted the knifeman and warned others. Isaac Cohen, driving nearby, saw him chasing Jewish men: “We said, ‘What are you doing?’, and we understood something was wrong. So we turned the car and went after him, trying to save the people. We screamed ‘Be careful.’ We pursued him for 10 to 15 minutes.” Cohen added, “He was looking for Jewish people—when he saw a Jew, he started running after them.”
Daniela, a 29-year-old mother from Hendon shopping nearby, heard screams: “He’s got a knife—run! A man in a car told me someone had been stabbed. That’s when we knew to run.” She and other mothers sheltered in a bookshop as the attacker passed: “The shop owner locked the door. We were speechless. It is scary that as Jews living in the area we just don’t feel safe anymore.”
Police Confrontation and Arrest
Officers confronted the suspect, who refused commands and approached armed, shouting. Mobile footage shows him undeterred. Police bodycam captures the takedown after tasering, with a bystander and Shomrim volunteers assisting. Yonathan Elkouby, 33, a Shomrim volunteer, held the suspect’s legs and hand: “Things are being done to protect us but not enough to prevent these things.”
Ben Grossnass from Shomrim said teams arrived within 90 seconds: “He was outside the synagogue on Highfield Avenue and started stabbing someone. Then he went down Golders Green Road and continued stabbing a visibly Jewish man, pushing him over and stabbing repeatedly.”
Met Commissioner Mark Rowley praised the officers: “They confronted a man they believed to be a terrorist, who refused to show his hands and was violent. These were not armed officers, and they feared he carried an explosive device. Using only their training, courage, and Tasers, they detained him.”
Victims’ Conditions and Investigation
Both victims remain hospitalized in stable condition. A close friend of Shine described his neck wounds as serious: “One of his wounds is very serious in the neck. It was devastating. He was waiting for the bus home after morning prayer.” Shine, a quiet synagogue regular, was called “a really lovely man who would go about his business not bothering anyone.”
Shloime Rand’s sister said he works in property and mortgages: “Thankfully he’s going to recover, but we’ve been told that if the knife had hit a centimeter to the right or left, it would have ruptured his vital organs. He’s in shock, on oxygen, being stitched up, but he will survive. He was casually walking down the street and was pounced on by this attacker. The only thing that provoked him was the way he looked. He was attacked just because he’s Jewish. It’s appalling, but also not surprising—we get targeted by anti-Semitism all the time.”
A 45-year-old man with a history of serious violence and mental health issues faces arrest on suspicion of attempted murder. The incident is under terror investigation. Weeks earlier, four Hatzola ambulances were set alight nearby—the first to respond to the stabbings.
