The Islamist fanatic accused of unleashing bloodshed in London after stabbing two Jewish men this week has a long history of violence. Essa Suleiman, 45, a Somali-born British national, was identified Thursday as the suspect in the attack the day before in the city's heavily Jewish Golders Green area.
Victims and Attack Details
Shloime Rand, 34, and Moshe Ben Baila, 76, were stabbed and remain in hospital in stable condition. Witnesses said Suleiman struck without provocation. One of the victims, Moshe Shine, was attacked while waiting at a bus stop, according to a member of the Jewish community. “He is very softly spoken. Very generous. He's a very nice, smiley guy,” one friend said of Shine. “Really the nicest guy. He never lost his temper or raised his voice.”
Suspect's Violent History
Suleiman's violent CV is disturbing. In 2008, he was accused of attacking a police officer and his service dog, leaving the officer with injuries that kept him off work for five months. He used a knife, stabbing the officer and dog repeatedly while also wounding another cop. As recently as 2020, he was referred to a British anti-extremism program. In the interim, he worked as a translator and security guard. He legally arrived in the U.K. in the 1990s. The suspect was allegedly involved in another knife incident in central London two hours before the attack, where one man suffered minor injuries. Police said the accused attacker has a “history of serious violence and mental health issues.”
Police Response and Controversy
Video footage showed Suleiman being Tasered by officers before being kicked in the head, as they repeatedly yelled at him to “drop the knife.” One politician, Green Party leader Zack Polanski, was lambasted for sharing a tweet that criticized the cops for being too rough on the knife-wielding attacker. Polanski retweeted: “So essentially his (police chief Mark Rowley's) officers were repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head when he was already incapacitated by Taser.” Labour MP Jonathan Hinder tweeted: “This is so telling. Polanski hates the brave police officers who stopped this. He's more concerned about the antisemitic terrorist with a knife in his hand! Isn't that right Zack Polanski?” Police across the UK have stepped up patrols in response to Wednesday's attack.
Prime Minister's Statement
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Too many Jewish people in this country feel they have to make choices that no Briton should ever have to make, about how they dress, where they go, or how visibly they live their lives. That is completely unacceptable and has gone on for far too long.” He added that protesters attending pro-Palestine marches “alongside people who say 'globalize the intifada'... are calling for terrorism against Jews.” Starmer did not mention that his Labour government has been under fire for failing to deal with increasingly violent pro-Palestinian protests. Israel has warned that antisemitism is out of control in the U.K. and now qualifies as a “national emergency.” The terrorism threat level is now slated to rise to its highest level, meaning an attack is likely.
In his speech, Starmer seemed to indicate that a crackdown on violent protest was in the works. “Take the marches that happen regularly across Britain. Of course, we protect freedom of speech and peaceful protest in this country, but if you are marching with people wearing pictures of paragliders without calling it out, you are venerating the murder of Jews,” the prime minister said. “If you stand alongside people who say, 'globalize the Intifada', you are calling for terrorism against Jews, and people who use that phrase should be prosecuted. It is racism, extreme racism, and it has left a minority community in this country scared, intimidated, wondering if they belong.”
