UK police said on Friday they had charged a 45-year-old man over the stabbing of two Jewish men in north London, the latest in a string of attacks.

“Essa Suleiman… has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place in relation to an attack in Golders Green on Wednesday,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed on Thursday to boost security for the Jewish community.

Later on Thursday, the interior ministry announced that the country’s terrorism threat level had been raised to “severe”, the second highest in the five-tier system and meaning another attack “is highly likely in the next six months”.

The two men were attacked in broad daylight in Golders Green, a north London area with a large Jewish population.

The victims, aged 76 and 34, were in a stable condition in hospital.

The suspected attacker is a British national who was born in Somalia and came to the UK as a child.