UK authorities declared a terrorist incident in London following a stabbing attack that wounded two Jewish men on April 29. Hours after the stabbings, the Iran-linked front group Ashab al Yamin published a statement claiming credit for the attack.
The BBC reported that police responded to calls of a stabbing in the predominantly Jewish suburb of Golders Green. Two victims, approximately 70 and 30 years old, were stabbed by an assailant before members of a local Jewish volunteer security group and police apprehended the attacker. The 45-year-old suspect was taken into custody on suspicion of attempted murder. Both victims are reportedly in “stable condition” at a local hospital.
Following the stabbings, pro-Iran regime Telegram accounts disseminated a video by Ashab al Yamin in which the group claimed credit for the stabbings.
“Zionists were targeted by our lone wolves in the Golders Green area of London. This heroic act left two Zionists critically wounded and on the brink of death,” the group stated.
Ashab al Yamin also encouraged further attacks against “Zionists,” framing them as defending humanity, the Al Aqsa Mosque, Palestine, and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. The statement lauded Cole Allen, who attempted to assassinate US President Donald Trump at a gathering of journalists and government officials in Washington, DC, on April 25. The statement ended with Ashab al Yamin encouraging “free people” to assassinate Trump. The statement included closed-circuit television footage showing one of the stabbings in Golders Green that had been widely distributed online by sources not linked to the group.
Laurence Taylor, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said that authorities were “working quickly to understand exactly what happened.” Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police Sir Mark Rowley noted that the suspect had a history of “serious violence and mental health issues.”
A tally by FDD’s Long War Journal shows that Ashab al Yamin has claimed credit for 16 attacks against Jewish and Western targets. The April 29 stabbings are the first time that the group has claimed credit for an attack on individuals rather than an institution.
Since March 3, Ashab al Yamin has claimed arson and improvised explosive device (IED) attacks on Jewish, Christian, and Western institutions across multiple countries in Europe. The last incident the group claimed before today’s stabbings was on April 17, when it said it was behind an arson aimed at Jewish Futures in London. The group framed the attack as a response to the educational organization’s links to Israel and the Israel Defense Forces. According to police, a man attempted to ignite a bag containing flammable liquid outside a building that was formerly used by Jewish Futures. Only minor damage was reported, and no injuries occurred.
Joe Truzman is an editor and senior research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal focused primarily on Palestinian armed groups and non-state actors in the Middle East.
