Knifeman arrested over Golders Green attack was previously referred to UK's counter-extremism programme
The knifeman was previously referred to the Government's counter-extremism programme Prevent
A man suspected of carrying out a knife attack in Golders Green was referred to the Government’s Prevent anti-terror programme, it has been revealed.
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The Somalian-born British citizen, who came to the UK as a child in the early 1990s, was already 'known to police', according to reports.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the suspect had a “history of serious violence and mental health issues”.
The announcement comes after two Jewish men - 34-year-old Shilome Rand and 76-year-old Moshe Ben Baila - were stabbed in north London on Wednesday, in what Counter Terror Policing London has formally declared a terrorist attack.
It comes as police continue to search address in south-east London.
On Wednesday, a 45-year-old man, said by police to be a Somali-born British national, was arrested, with the suspect briefly treated in hospital.
He remains in police custody.
He is being held under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, which means he could be detained for up to 96 hours with the approval of a magistrate.
The Prevent programme plays a key role in the UK's counter-terror strategy, placing a legal duty on public bodies to identify people at risk of turning to extremism, and in turn, "stop individuals becoming terrorists".
This includes figures like teachers, social services, faith leaders and doctors.
Scotland Yard said a referral made to Prevent in 2020 was closed in the same year.
On Thursday, the Prime Minister was heckled with chants of “Keir Starmer, Jew harmer” as he visited Golders Green to meet emergency services who responded to the terrorist attack which left two Jewish men in hospital.
It comes after the family of the victims said no-one from the Government has been in touch with them.
At the scene yesterday, furious locals heckled the Met police chief with cries of ‘resign’ and chants of ’Starmer out’ - over failures to keep people safe on the streets.
It comes as Sadiq Khan reflected on "the latest in a series of antisemitic attacks in our city", insisting that Jewish Londoners "understandably and rightly want to see more action, not words".
"The Met has surged the policing presence in Barnet over the last four weeks, and there are plans in place to deploy additional policing over the next month. This morning, the Government has also announced £25m to boost police patrols in Jewish communities.
"I welcome this announcement and will be continuing discussions with Ministers and the Met about the additional national funding required to deliver the long-term step-change in policing presence that Jewish Londoners expect and deserve."
He added that he has worked alongside the Met Commissioner to set out proposals for a new approach to policing in the wake of the string of antisemitic attacks.
He added that proposed measures would include "growing neighbourhood policing teams in areas with large Jewish populations; creating a new Community Policing Hub near the centre of the Jewish community in Barnet; and adding another investigative team to expedite hate crime investigations.
"The approach would use the tactics that have been proven to work in other recent operations, including in the West End, where a surge in neighbourhood teams has resulted in a major reduction in crime."
He went on to add that "we must all support our Jewish friends, neighbours and colleagues and not allow the forces of hatred to divide us.”