A man accused of stabbing two Jewish men in Golders Green is also alleged to have attacked a Muslim man earlier the same day.
Essa Suleiman faces three counts of attempted murder following the incidents.
He is accused of attacking Shloime Rand and Moshe Shine in Golders Green on Wednesday.
But before that, he allegedly attempted to murder Ishmail Hussein in a separate knife attack at Hussein’s flat. Hussein reportedly knew Suleiman for about 20 years.
Suleiman is also charged with possession of a knife in a public place.
Reports suggest Suleiman previously worked as a security guard in Swindon and had a history of serious violence and mental health issues.
On social media, users highlighted that the alleged attack on a Muslim victim has received comparatively little coverage.
Birmingham MP Ayoub Khan wrote on X: “Three charges of attempted murder, and it appears that this was both an antisemitic and Islamophobic attack. Why is the media ignoring the attack on the Muslim victim, though? This disparity is disturbing, to say the least.”
Commentators have also accused the government and media of using the crime to target pro-Palestine demonstrations linked to opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
“Inaccurate and counterproductive” narratives
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said there had been “inaccurate and counterproductive” narratives linking pro-Palestine marches to antisemitic violence.
It said it stood “in solidarity with the Jewish community facing an abhorrent rise in antisemitism.”
“At the same time, it is notable that far less attention was given to the fact that the attacker, recently discharged from a psychiatric unit, also targeted a Muslim man, Ishmail Hussein, that very morning. It speaks to a disparity that raises serious questions,” it said.
“Attempts to frame British Muslims, or all who advocate for Palestinian rights, as collectively responsible for rising antisemitism are inaccurate and counterproductive. We have seen far too many engage in this reckless scapegoating. People of every faith and none must be able to walk Britain’s streets in safety and to achieve this, we will need more unity, not less.”
The Muslim Association of Britain made similar comments, adding that the case risked being used to advance “a case already prepared — against Muslim communities, against Palestinian solidarity, against the right to dissent.”
The incidents have intensified debate in the UK around antisemitism and community safety, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer warning of threats to the Jewish community.
“We need stronger powers to tackle the malign threat posed by states like Iran, because we know for a fact that they want to harm British Jews,” he said in a statement delivered from Downing Street.
