“We got a phone call to the hotline saying that there’s a man stabbing people and we sent our members to the scene.”
It was not yet known at the time on Wednesday morning, but a volunteer of the Jewish security group Shomrim was dispatching their members to what would later be formally declared a terrorist incident by the Metropolitan Police.
Two Jewish men, aged 34 and 76, were stabbed while in Golders Green, north London. Both are in a stable condition, but the attacks came after a spate of arson attacks against Jewish property in London in recent weeks.
Shomrim carries out civilian security patrols through Jewish communities in north London.
It has 40 volunteers who are on call 24/7, and who actively work with local people to prevent crime and increase safety by working with police and other agencies, according to its website.
“We were first on scene, and we apprehended him together with the police,” Ben Grossnass from the organisation adds.