UK raises national terror threat level after the stabbing of 2 Jewish
men
[May 01, 2026]
By JILL LAWLESS
LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government said Thursday that the country is
facing an antisemitism emergency and pledged to increase security for
Jewish communities after a string of arson attacks and a double stabbing
that have sparked fear and anger among Jews.
The country's official terror threat level was raised from substantial
to severe after Wednesday's stabbing attack in London, which police have
called an act of terrorism with potential links to Iran. Severe is the
second-highest rung on a five-point scale and means intelligence
agencies consider an attack highly likely in the next six months.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that his government “will do everything
in our power to stamp this hatred out” after two Jewish men, ages 34 and
76, were seriously injured in a stabbing in Golders Green, an area in
north London that is an epicenter of Britain's Jewish community. Both
men are in a stable condition.
But some in the community turned their anger on the government, which
they say is failing to tackle antisemitism. Starmer was heckled by about
100 protesters holding signs saying “Keir Starmer, Jew harmer” when he
visited Golders Green on Thursday.
The prime minister said in response that “I absolutely understand the
high levels of anxiety and concern that there are.”
“Antisemitism is an old, old hatred. History shows that the roots are
deep, and if you turn away, it grows back," he said during a televised
statement at 10 Downing St. “Yet far too many people in this country
diminish it.”
Police have arrested a 45-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder
over the attack. Detectives are working to determine a motive and
whether there is any link to Iranian proxies.
The suspect, whose name hasn’t been released, had “a history of serious
violence and mental health issues,” police said. In 2020, he was
referred to the government’s Prevent program, which tries to steer
individuals away from extremism. The police force said that his file was
closed later the same year, and didn't disclose the reason for the
referral.
Stabbing follows arson attacks
Britain’s Jewish community, which numbers about 300,000 people, has
faced growing attacks online and in the streets.
The number of antisemitic incidents reported across the U.K. has soared
since the attack by Hamas-led militants on southern Israel on Oct. 7,
2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza, according to the Community
Security Trust charity.
In October, an attacker drove his car into people gathered outside a
Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur and fatally stabbed one man. Another
man died during the attack after being inadvertently shot by police.
Since the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28, there have been a string of
arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites in London as well as
on opponents of the Iranian government.
Police say that 28 people have been arrested over those attacks, which
did not cause any injuries. A handful have been charged and one teenager
has been convicted after pleading guilty.
Police investigate potential link to Iran proxies
Several arson attacks have been claimed online in the name of Harakat
Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia. Israel’s government has described the group,
whose name means the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, as
a recently founded group with suspected links to “an Iranian proxy” that
has also claimed responsibility for synagogue attacks in Belgium and the
Netherlands.
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Protesters hold posters near the scene where two people were stabbed
yesterday in the Golders Green neighbourhood, that has a large
Jewish community, in London, Thursday, April 30, 2026.(AP
Photo/Alastair Grant)
An online post under the same name also claimed responsibility for
Wednesday’s stabbing. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that
authorities were investigating whether that claim is credible or
“opportunistic.”
Security experts say its claims should be treated with caution, but the
U.K. has accused Iran of using criminal proxies to conduct attacks on
European soil targeting Iranian opposition media outlets and the Jewish
community. Britain’s MI5 domestic intelligence service says that more
than 20 “potentially lethal” Iran-backed plots were disrupted in the
year ending in October.
The government said the increased threat level was not solely a result
of the Golders Green attack, but also due to increased danger “from
Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threat from individuals and
small groups based in the U.K.”
The threat level stood at severe for much of the time between 2014 and
February 2022, when it was lowered to substantial.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of counterterrorism
policing at the Metropolitan Police, said "we are seeing an elevated
threat to Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions in the U.K.
We’re also working against an unpredictable global situation that has
consequences closer to home, including physical threats by state linked
actors.”
Government under pressure to tackle antisemitism
Starmer pledged that the attacks would bring a “swift and visible”
criminal justice response. Mahmood said that she's treating antisemitism
as “an emergency,” describing it as the top security issue she faced.
The government announced 25 million pounds ($34 million) for more police
patrols and protection around synagogues, schools and community centers,
and Starmer said that the courts would speed up sentencing on
antisemitic attacks as a deterrent.
But some Jews and others say the government has allowed an atmosphere of
antisemitism to grow. They say pro-Palestinian protests, held regularly
since October 2023, have gone beyond criticism of Israel's actions to
foster an atmosphere of intimidation and hatred against Jews.
The protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful, but some say chants such
as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” incite
anti-Jewish hatred. Some protesters have been arrested for displaying
support for Hamas, a banned organization in the U.K.
Jonathan Hall, the government’s reviewer of terrorism legislation,
called for pro-Palestinian marches to be temporarily banned, saying they
had helped “incubate” antisemitism.
The government hasn't backed a ban, but Starmer said that protesters who
used the phrase “globalize the intifada” — seen by some as a call for
attacks on Jews — should be prosecuted.
Starmer said that the government would fast-track powers “to tackle the
malign threat posed by states like Iran — because we know for a fact
that they want to harm British Jews."
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