LONDON, UK — The United Kingdom has raised its national terrorism threat level to “severe” following a series of stabbing attacks in Golders Green, prompting heightened security measures across the country.
Two Jewish men, 34-year-old Shloime Rand and 76-year-old Moshe Shine, were stabbed during the attack on Wednesday.
They were treated at the scene and remain in a stable condition in hospital.
The decision, announced by security officials, means an attack is now considered highly likely, one step below the highest “critical” level.
Authorities said the move was taken as a precautionary response to the incidents and ongoing assessments by intelligence agencies.
Police confirmed that multiple people were injured in the attacks in the north-west London district, a busy residential and commercial area.
Emergency services responded swiftly, with armed officers deployed to secure the scene and assist victims.
Counter-terrorism units have since taken over the investigation, working to establish the motive behind the attacks and whether they were coordinated.
Counter-terror policing head Laurence Taylor says police will be reviewing “all events across the country” after the UK terrorism threat level was raised to severe.
“As part of our review into the change in the threat level, policing will be reviewing all events across the country,” he says.
“My teams will be working with forces to ensure that we have appropriate protective security measures in place, that the appropriate mitigations are put in place.
“And we will be engaged with communities who will be affected by large events, as well as those involved in the events, so that we can keep them safe as they can be.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has responded to the increase in terror threat level, saying he wants to “reassure all Londoners and visitors that we are doing everything possible to protect our city and keep all of our communities safe”.
