Man Arrested for Brandishing Knife, Yelling About ‘Palestine’ In London Kosher Grocery

By Vicki Belovski

LONDON — A man was arrested Monday in Northwest London after he wielded a knife in a kosher grocery shop while yelling about “Palestine.”

The man entered Kay’s Local, a popular kosher grocery in the Golders Green neighborhood, early Monday afternoon, and demanded that staff answer his questions about events “in Palestine,” according to Campaign Against Antisemitism. When staff told him they didn’t want to “talk about politics,” he allegedly brandished a knife.

The staff managed to evict him from the shop, partly by pushing him with a shopping cart. Shomrim and the police were called.

A Shomrim spokesman told Hamodia that the suspect was seen running into a nearby apartment building, and when Shomrim arrived, they monitored the building until police arrived a few minutes later. The suspect subsequently emerged from the building, having changed his sweatshirt but not his trousers, and Shomrim pointed him out to the police, who tackled him and arrested him. Police then searched the building and recovered a knife, believed to be the one used in the incident.

The suspect was taken to a nearby police station, where he is currently in custody. Inspector Scott Barden-Marshall of the local policing team in NW London issued a statement on X, saying, “I know this incident will cause concern in the community. Officers responded quickly and made an arrest within 10 minutes. An investigation is now underway to establish the circumstances.”

The suspect, 34, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, criminal damage and racially-aggravated affray.