Man charged with affray and possession of a weapon after Golders Green attack

Police have charged a man with affray and possession of a weapon after a Golders Green attack that has, a police superintendent admitted, left “Jewish communities shaken”.

Gabriel Abdullah, 34, has been charged by the Met Police and will appear in custody following reports of a man with a knife at midday yesterday.

He was remanded to appear in custody at Harrow Crown Court on Tuesday, 27 February.

This charge comes after police were called to reports of a man with a knife in Hamilton Road, NW11 at around 13:27hrs yesterday, Monday, 29 January.

Officers confirmed the incident is being treated as a “hate crime” and they paid tribute to the members of the public, who included members of Shomrim,  who had “bravely intervened”

The incident took place Hamilton Road, Golders Green, as a man allegedly shouted antisemitic abuse outside the shop while armed with a knife.

Chief Superintendent Sara Leach, responsible for policing in north-west London, said: “Yesterday’s incident in Golders Green has understandably caused significant concern and left our Jewish communities shaken.

“I want to be clear, this matter is being treated as a hate crimeand we are dedicating significant resources to the investigation.

“Our officers responded quickly and were on the scene within six minutes and able to arrest the suspect within ten minutes of being called. I want to pay tribute to the members of the public who bravely intervened before police arrived.

“This is being investigated as a hate crime by specialist detectives from our Community Safety Unit.”

The senior officer added it is not being treated as a terror investigation.

‘While this is not a terror investigation, that in no way detracts from how seriously we are taking this incident,” she added.