‘It’s a miracle I’m alive’, says Jewish man, 34, stabbed in Golders Green terror attack as second victim, 76, is pictured
Shloime Rand thanked God for his survival as he spoke from his hospital bed.
A Jewish man stabbed in a north London terror attack has said it’s a “miracle” he’s still alive - as he slammed the Government for failing to keep the community safe.
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Shloime Rand, 34, was leaving his synagogue in Golders Green on Wednesday morning when a knifeman drove a blade into his chest.
He was one of two Jewish men targeted in the attack, which police are treating as a terror incident.
The other, Moshe Shine, 76, has since been pictured. He is in hospital in a serious but stable condition, LBC understands.
The rampage has sent shockwaves through Britain’s Jewish community, which has demanded urgent action from the Government and the authorities as fears grow for its safety.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr Rand said: “People are really concerned, people are afraid, people are uncomfortable walking in the street, people are blaming obviously the government for not doing anything about what’s going on.”
The attacker “looked angry”, he told ITV, adding : “You could feel it in his facial expressions, it was like he was out to get me.”He thanked God he survived the attack, describing it as a“miracle”.
Mr Rand added that felt left down by the government following the recent spate of attacks on the Jewish community - including an arson attack on a Jewish ambulance service in the same area just weeks ago.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Wednesday evening he would visit Golders Green “as soon as possible” following today’s “appalling attack”.
Speaking following an emergency Cobra meeting, he condemned the “appalling attack” and said “my thoughts and all of our thoughts are with the victims, their families, their loved ones”.
“Let’s be frank, this is not an isolated incident. There’s been a series of antisemitic attacks and I know first hand the anxiety that that is causing in the community and concern.”
"We need to increase that to give the level of protection that is needed," he admitted.
The Prime Minister has come under criticism for his response to recent incidents of anti-Semitism, including from leading Rabbi Herschel Gluck.
Rabbi Gluck, president of the Shomrim Jewish security force, which was first on the scene of today’s attack, told LBC earlier this month the Government “makes a lot of noise” but often fails to deliver to keep Jewish people safe.
“When it comes to actually putting its money where its mouth is, they suddenly go awol. And that, of course, is not what one expects of one's elected leaders.”
Meanwhile, a British-Jewish man from Salford has told LBC he is leaving the UK and moving to Israel on Monday due to rising levels of anti-semitism.
Richard Manville, 70, said he feels “failed” by the Prime Minister, claiming “British police have perhaps not done as much as they could have done” following recent attacks on the community.
Counter terror police say the suspect in Wednesday's attack is a 45-year-old British national from Somalia.
Shocking bodycam footage shows the moment police confronted him.
Addressing the media, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the suspect had a history of serious violence and mental health issues.
He went on to call the incident "another horrendous act of violence directed against our Jewish communities", adding that his thoughts were with the two British Jews attacked.