- The UK terrorism threat level has been raised to “severe” following the Golders Green stabbings, meaning a terror attack is “highly likely”.
- The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre announced the decision on Thursday, the day after two Jewish men were stabbed in north London and in the wake of a spate of attacks in Jewish neighbourhoods in recent weeks.
- The body, which is based in MI5 but makes independent assessments, previously set the threat level at “substantial”, meaning an attack was “likely”.
- It comes as police confirmed the suspect in Wednesday’s attack had previously been reported to Prevent, the Government’s anti-extremism programme, and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was heckled when he visited the scene on Thursday.
- The suspect was named as Essa Suleiman, a 45-year-old British national born in Somalia who came to the UK legally as a child in the 1990s. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that he was referred to Prevent in 2020 but the case was closed the same year.
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