Alleged Golders Green attacker Essa Suleiman appeared in court on Friday to face charges including three counts of attempted murder.
The Somali migrant accused of stabbing three people across London on Wednesday appeared at Westminster Magistrate’s Court on Friday. 45-year-old Essa Suleiman was charged with three counts of attempted murder and one of possession of a bladed article.
It is alleged that Suleiman stabbed Ishmail Hussein at a domestic address in Southwark on Wednesday morning before travelling by public transport to Brent Cross, a neighbourhood and London Underground station in Golders Green and near the Brent Cross shopping centre. From there, it is claimed he walked into Golders Green itself, where he attacked two men — Shloime Rand and Norman Shine — wearing traditional Jewish clothes.
An arrest took place, after a struggle, shortly afterwards. It is suggested that a fourth man may have also become involved while attempting to prevent an attack, and further charges may be forthcoming.
The Times of London notes Somali-born Suleiman, who travelled to Britain legally in the 1990s and later gained a British passport, had been living in in South London in supported accommodation for individuals released from secure psychiatric hospitals. It is reported Hussein was previously reported to the British government’s deradicalisation programme Prevent in 2020.
The next hearing has been set for May 15th.