One of the victims of a suspected terror attack in Golders Green has accused the government of “not doing its job” as he described the horrific moment he was stabbed in the chest.
Shilome Rand, 34, was stabbed along with 76-year-old Moshe Ben Baila, named locally as Moshe Shine, during what appeared to be an antisemitic attack on Wednesday. The incident, close to where four Jewish community ambulances were destroyed by fire in late March, triggered a huge police response and the arrest of a 45-year-old man, said to be a Somali-born British national.
Soon after the incident, Sir Keir Starmer described the attack as “deeply concerning”, and said his government was “absolutely clear in our determination” to tackle such incidents.
However, it has also led to claims not enough is being done to tackle antisemitism, including from Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who posted on X: “Words are not enough to confront this scourge.” Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called for “meaningful action” to tackle the “root causes” of antisemitism.
Speaking to ITV News from his hospital bed, victim Mr Rand also criticised the government.
He said: “People are really concerned, people are afraid, people are uncomfortable walking in the street, peopel are blaming obviously the government for not doing anything about what’s going on.
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“It’s for the past few months really that our community is suffering from these type of attacks. And now it’s going on and trying to take people’s lives and it’s really terrible.”
He added: “The government, they are the ones that are able to take care of the problems. And they are not doing their job.”
Mr Rand said he had been studying at a local synagogue when a man started running toward him.
“I didn’t suspect anything and he just stabbed me in the chest. I was taken to the hospital,” he said.
He added: “He looked angry, he looked angry. You could feel it in his facial expressions, it was like he was out to get me.”
Both Mr Rand and Mr Shine, who was attacked at a bus stop, are said to be in hospital in a stable condition.
Sir Keir has vowed that the government would address the causes of antisemitism, provide more funding for security at Jewish sites and tackle “malign state actors” linked to recent violence.
He is also expected to meet criminal justice agencies on Thursday to discuss the attack, and said he would visit Golders Green “as soon as possible”.
In London, counter-terrorism officers investigating the attack said they were also searching an address in the south-east of the city after it was reported the suspect had been involved in a prior “altercation” with another person.
A joint statement from detective chief superintendent Luke Williams, the regional basic command unit commander, and Barnet Council chief executive Cath Shaw said “significant number of officers” would be in the area to support the investigation.
“This gives police officers temporary powers to stop and search people in the area without needing specific suspicion, where there is a risk of serious violence,” the statement said.
“This is a preventative measure designed to deter further criminality. We were already deploying an increased number of Counter Terrorism Response Vehicles to respond to suspicious activity.”
They said there would be an “increased policing presence in and around schools, transport hubs, high footfall areas and faith venues”.
