A bishop has condemned the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, in what has been formally declared a terrorist incident by police. 

The men, aged 76 and 34, are in a stable condition in hospital after they were stabbed on Wednesday morning. Police officers tasered and arrested the 45 year-old suspected knifeman. 

It is the latest in a series of attacks against the Jewish community, with the stabbings happening close to the site of other incidents. 

The Bishop of Edmonton, Rt Rev Dr Anderson Jeremiah, said he is “appalled by this ongoing cycle of violence fuelled by antisemitism”. A Golders Green resident himself, he was walking down the same street just an hour before. 

Bishop Anderson said in a statement: “I am deeply shocked and saddened that, yet again, two of our Jewish neighbours have been targeted and stabbed by an individual driven by hatred and violence”.

“While I am immensely relieved to hear they are currently receiving medical attention, the fact that such an atrocity has occurred in our community is devastating.

“This was not just an attack on individuals, but on the safety and spirit of our entire neighbourhood. In the face of such darkness, our community must stand firm. We must respond with unwavering resilience and a commitment to the kind of love and unity that overcomes bigotry. 

“My prayers are with the victims and their families, and I stand in solidarity with the Jewish community. We will not be defined by those who seek to divide us, but by our collective strength and support for one another.”

King Charles, who is on a state visit to the US, “is being kept fully informed and is naturally deeply concerned, in particular about the impact for the Jewish community”, according to a Buckingham Palace spokesperson. 

“His thoughts and prayers are with the two individuals who were injured and offers his heartfelt gratitude to those who so selflessly rushed to their aid”, the spokesperson added.