Gabriel Abdullah was charged affray and possession of bladed article in a public place following yesterday’s incident at a kosher supermarket on Hamilton Road

A lamp featuring the words 'Metropolitan Police' in white on blue glass — (Credit – Met Police)

A man was due to appear in court today following an incident at a kosher supermarket in Golders Green yesterday.

Gabriel Abdullah, 34, of Hamilton Road has been charged with affray and possession of bladed article in a public place.

He was due to appear in custody at Willesden Green Magistrates’ Court.

Abdullah was charged after police were called to reports of a man with a knife at a kosher supermarket in Hamilton Road shortly before 1.30pm yesterday.

A police statement yesterday said that the incident was not being treated as terror related.

In a further statement today, Chief Superintendent Sara Leach explained that it was being treated as an antisemitic hate crime. She 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 crime and 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. I want to offer my reassurance that officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command have carried out a full assessment of the incident and remain in contact with local officers as the investigation continues. While this is not a terror investigation, that in no way detracts from how seriously we are taking this incident.

“Myself and my senior team spoke with community leaders and other partners over the course of yesterday afternoon to update them on the investigation and keep them informed. This will continue into today and the days ahead. We have been carrying out additional patrols in Golders Green over recent months and these will now increase in light of this incident.”

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