The British government formally declared an antisemitism emergency on April 30 and announced £25 million (approximately $34 million) in new security funding following a double stabbing and a pattern of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites across London. The government pledged to increase security for Jewish communities after a string of arson attacks and a double stabbing, and raised the country’s official terrorism threat level from “substantial” to “severe.” The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre made the determination, which now means a terrorist attack is considered highly likely. The UK last held a “severe” threat designation in November 2021, following the Liverpool Women’s Hospital bombing and the killing of MP David Amess, before the level was lowered to “substantial” in early 2022.
Two Jewish men were stabbed in broad daylight in the north London neighborhood of Golders Green on April 29 in what police described as a terrorist incident. The victims were identified as Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Shine, 76. Both men are in stable condition. A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, also accused of attempting to stab police officers. The suspect is a British national born in Somalia and, according to police, has “a history of serious violence and mental health issues.” The Metropolitan Police confirmed the suspect was referred to the government’s Prevent counter-extremism program in 2020, and that the referral was closed the same year. Police did not disclose the reason for the referral’s closure. The attack did not occur in isolation: last month, arsonists set fire to four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in Golders Green. Police have arrested 28 people in connection with those incidents; a handful have been charged and one teenager has pleaded guilty.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Golders Green on April 30 and faced direct political pressure from within the Jewish community. Starmer was heckled by approximately 100 protesters upon his arrival. Speaking from Downing Street, Starmer named Iran as a driving threat, stating the government needed stronger powers to address “the malign threat posed by states like Iran.” [POLITICO] Investigators are also working to determine whether there is a link to Iranian proxies in Wednesday’s stabbing. The UK has previously accused Iran of using criminal proxies to conduct attacks on European soil, and Britain’s MI5 domestic intelligence service reported disrupting more than 20 “potentially lethal” Iran-backed plots in the year ending in October. A pro-Iranian government group has claimed responsibility for some recent attacks, and two men were charged last month under the existing National Security Act with being tasked by Iran to carry out hostile surveillance.
On the legislative front, the government announced two tracks of action. First, the government allocated £25 million for additional police patrols and protection at synagogues, schools, and community centers. Legislation to put that funding in place will be fast-tracked over the next few weeks. Second, the government said it will fast-track legislation to enable prosecution of individuals and groups conducting hostile activity on behalf of foreign states, including state proxies. The Home Secretary will receive new proscription-like powers to ban the activities of state-backed organizations, and police and intelligence agencies will gain stronger tools under the National Security Act to act against anyone working on behalf of state-backed organizations. That framework would allow anyone acting as a proxy of a state-sponsored group to be investigated and prosecuted as a foreign intelligence operative.
Starmer also called for prosecuting use of the phrase “globalize the intifada,” arguing that those who employ the slogan are effectively calling for terrorism against Jews. [POLITICO] Opposition Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for banning pro-Palestinian rallies, while Starmer said freedom of speech and assembly are important British values, though he urged protesters to be mindful of their conduct. The broader statistical backdrop is notable: the Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2025, the second-highest total ever reported to the organization. The government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall, told the BBC that attacks on Jewish people in Britain were “the biggest national security emergency” since 2017.
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- Key Statutory and Institutional Framework
- Threat level authority: The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) and MI5 jointly set the UK’s national terrorism threat levels under a five-tier system in place since 2006. “Severe” is the second-highest designation. [2][3]
- Prevent program: The suspect’s prior referral to Prevent, the UK’s statutory counter-extremism program, and the closure of that file are now under direct scrutiny by Prime Minister Starmer. [4]
- National Security Act: The government’s proposed proxy-prosecution framework expands tools under the existing National Security Act, enabling the treatment of state-proxy actors as foreign intelligence operatives. [5]
- Proscription powers: Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will be granted new authority, analogous to existing proscription powers for terrorist organizations, to ban state-backed groups threatening UK national security. [5]
References:
[1] CNN. (2026, April 29). Two Jewish men stabbed in London in what police call terrorist incident. https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/29/uk/north-london-stabbing-jewish-community-intl
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