A serene spring morning in Golders Green shattered into terror as a knife-wielding man prowled the streets of London’s Jewish community, targeting victims in a brazen rampage. Disturbing footage captures the heavy-set suspect, dressed in a blue puffer jacket and backpack, jogging through quiet residential areas near a synagogue on Highfield Avenue.
The First Assault
At 11:15 a.m., security cameras record the attacker pursuing a Jewish man in traditional attire. Moments later, he intercepts Shloime Rand, 34, striking him outside a synagogue. Partially hidden by a tree, the footage shows Rand calling for help as the assailant lunges repeatedly before Rand escapes.
Witness Moishe Geller described the scene: “The attacker walked up Golders Green Road and suddenly lunged at Mr. Rand outside the shul. Mr. Rand didn’t realize at first. He went inside, called the Jewish police, and only saw the blood when he touched his chest.”
The Second, Brutal Strike
Five minutes later, at 11:20 a.m., the violence escalates 400 yards away at a bus stop. CCTV shows 76-year-old Moshe Shine adjusting his kippah while holding a shopping bag. The suspect grabs him by the collar, delivering savage blows to his head, face, and neck. They stumble into the road, knocking Shine’s kippah to the pavement, where it blows away in the breeze.
Tariq Aziz, a pizza shop worker nearby, assisted Shine, who bled heavily from at least two stab wounds: “He came to our shop, and I gave him a tissue to help.” Witnesses noted the attacker walked away casually, knife in hand.
Police Confrontation and Arrest
Officers arrived to find the suspect refusing commands, attempting to stab them while shouting incoherently. Bodycam footage shows unarmed police using Tasers to subdue him, aided by a passerby. The 45-year-old man, with a history of serious violence and mental health issues, faces charges of attempted murder in this ongoing terror-related investigation.
Met Commissioner Mark Rowley praised the response: “Officers confronted a man they believed to be a terrorist, who refused to show his hands and was violent. Using only their training, courage, and Tasers, they detained him.”
Community Response and Warnings
Shomrim, the local Jewish volunteer security group, mobilized quickly after reports of the armed man. Ben Grossnass stated: “We got a call at 11:20 a.m., on scene in a minute and a half. He stabbed outside the synagogue, then down Golders Green Road, targeting a visibly Jewish man.”
Isaac Cohen, driving nearby, pursued the suspect: “We saw him chasing two Jewish men, turned the car, screamed warnings. He targeted Jews—running after them when he spotted one.” Yonathan Elkouby, a Shomrim volunteer, helped restrain him post-Taser.
Shopper Daniela, 29, from Hendon, fled after warnings: “We heard screams—’He’s got a knife—run!’ A man in a car said someone was stabbed. We sheltered in a bookshop as he passed.”
Victims’ Conditions and Aftermath
Both victims remain hospitalized in stable condition. A friend of Shine called him a “quiet man” who prayed daily: “One wound in the neck is very serious. He waited for the bus after morning prayer.”
Shloime Rand’s sister said: “He’s lucky to survive—if the knife hit a centimeter off, it would rupture organs. Attacked just for looking Jewish. Anti-Semitism targets us constantly.” Weeks earlier, four Hatzola ambulances burned nearby; these responded first to the stabbings.
The scene drew crowds chanting against Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with a heavy police presence cordoning the area.
