A Police van arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London. (May 1, 2026)
Suspect appears in UK court charged with attacking two Jewish men
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A 45-year-old man appeared in a UK court Friday charged with stabbing two Jewish men in north London earlier this week.
Essa Suleiman, a UK national born in Somalia, was remanded in custody after being charged with three attempted murder counts and one of possessing a knife in public.
Two attempted murder charges relate to Wednesday's attack in Golders Green, which is home to a large Jewish population.
The other attempted murder count covers a separate south London incident earlier Wednesday in which the knife-wielding suspect allegedly attacked a man he knew, prosecutors said.
Suleiman appeared in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court flanked by two guards, dressed in a grey tracksuit and sporting a bruised face.
Footage of his arrest in Golders Green showed police using an electroshock weapon before forcibly restraining him on the ground.
The court heard he had been living at a mental health facility in the capital.
He spoke only to confirm his name, and will next appear at London's Old Bailey court on May 15.
Counter Terrorism Policing is leading the ongoing investigation into the stabbings, which unfolded in broad daylight on a Golders Green street.
Two men -- aged 76 and 34 -- were taken to hospital after suffering knife wounds. The 34-year-old has since been released while the 76-year-old remains in a stable condition in hospital, according to police.
The government vowed Thursday to boost security for the Jewish community, pledging an extra £25 million ($33 million) to protect Jewish synagogues, schools, places of worship and community centres.
Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley revealed he was discussing with ministers and officials creating a 300-strong neighbourhood policing team, including specialist armed officers, for the Jewish community in north London.
