Britain’s terrorism threat level has been upgraded from “substantial” to “severe” after two Jewish people were stabbed in north London.
Security chiefs believe an attack is highly likely within the next six months following an increase in “Islamist and extreme right-wing” ideology in the UK.
The move follows Wednesday’s “terrorist incident” in Golders Green in which two Jewish people were injured.
Head of Counter Terrorism Policing Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said police are seeing an “elevated threat to Jewish and Israeli individuals” amid an “unpredictable global situation” sparked by conflict in the Middle East.
Shabana Mahmood assured the British public “world-class security services and the police are working, day and night, to keep our country safe” as she announced £25million in funding to protect communities against antisemitic attacks.
The Home Secretary said the threat level “will be a source of concern to many, particularly amongst our Jewish community, who have suffered so much”.
She added: “As the threat level rises, I urge everyone to be vigilant as they go about their daily lives, and report any concerns they have to the police.”
Threat level assessments are taken by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (Jtac), which is part of MI5.
Met Police has released bodycam footage of the Golders Green terror attack suspect’s arrest | METROPOLITAN POLICE
“Severe” is the second-highest level on Jtac’s five-point scale, meaning a terrorist incident is likely, whereas “critical” suggests an attack is imminent.
The last time the level was raised to severe was in 2021, when Conservative MP Sir David Amess was stabbed to death in Essex and a bomb was set off outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
It was then downgraded to “substantial” in February 2022.
Scotland Yard today confirmed the suspect in Golders Green was “known to police” and had been referred to Prevent in 2020.
However, Essa Suleiman’s case was closed by the Government’s anti-extremism programme that same year.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley confirmed Suleiman was a Somalian-born British citizen who has a history of “serious violence and mental health issues”.
Sir Keir Starmer was heckled when he visited Golders Green this morning, being greeted with chants of “Jew harmer” as he arrived to meet the emergency services who responded to the incident.
At a press conference, the Prime Minister vowed to “stamp out hatred” and protect Jews by introducing stronger powers.
Emergency personnel were working at the site of a stabbing incident in Golders Green | REUTERS
Legislation will be fast-tracked in Parliament over the coming weeks to clamp down on individuals and groups carrying out hostile activity for foreign states, including Iran.
Meanwhile, Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan urged Londoners to “remain calm”, adding: “I want to reassure all Londoners and visitors that we are doing everything possible to protect our city and keep all of our communities safe.
“There will be additional police officers on London’s streets over the coming days – including additional armed officers.
“They are there to help our police service to keep us all safe. Particularly London’s Jewish communities, who we know have been targeted and are feeling particularly afraid following recent attacks.
“Those who seek to harm and divide us through barbaric acts of terrorism will never succeed.
“We will never be cowed by terrorism.”
The Home Office said in a statement: “The increase in threat comes following yesterday’s stabbing in Golders Green in north London, but it is not solely a result of that attack.
“The terrorist threat level in the UK has been rising for some time, driven by an increase in broader Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threat from individuals and small groups based in the UK.
“While the UK national threat level set independently by Jtac reflects the terrorist threat in the UK, it comes against a backdrop of increased state-linked physical threats, which is encouraging acts of violence, including against the Jewish community.”