Met Police criticised for 'airbrushing' stabbing of third man in terror incident

THE Met Police has been accused of "airbrushing" an attack on a third man on the same day as the Golders Green terrorism incident.

On Wednesday, 45-year-old Essa Suleiman was charged with three counts of attempted murder after two Jewish men were stabbed in the north London area and another man, Ishmail Hussein, was targeted in a knife attack earlier in the day in Southwark, south London.

Despite this, the Met Police did not mention the third attack in a social media post about the charges.

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The tweet said: "A man will appear in court today charged following a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation into two men stabbed in #GoldersGreen."

Journalist Mehdi Hasan questioned why the police were "airbrushing" the third attack.

Sharing the Met's tweet, he posted: "Weird that even the police, in their tweet, though not in the full statement itself, are just airbrushing the fact that he’s being charged with three attempted murders, not two, the third person being a Muslim man he stabbed earlier in the day."

Journalist Owen Jones added: "He's been charged with the attempted murders of three people.

"The third is Ishmail Hussein.

"Why don't the Met Police mention that in their tweet? It's buried in the press release, but why in practise downplay the gravity of the crime?"

Former Al Jazeera editor Barry Malone said: "Why doesn't the tweet mention the Muslim man that he stabbed earlier in the day? He's been charged with three counts of attempted murder."

Suleiman also faces a charge of possessing a knife in a public place in Golders Green.

The Met Police has been approached for comment.

In the press release, the force did say the man was charged "with two counts of attempted murder" before mentioning the third incident separately and further down.

The press release says: "Following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service, Essa Suleiman (02.02.1981) of Camberwell 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 29 April.

"Suleiman was also charged with attempted murder in relation to a separate incident on the same date in Great Dover Street. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 1 May."

Weird that even the police, in their tweet, though not in the full statement itself, are just airbrushing the fact that he’s being charged with three attempted murders, not two, the third person being a Muslim man he stabbed earlier in the day https://t.co/REIx2lb8NQ

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 1, 2026

Earlier on Friday, Met Police commissioner Mark Rowley was criticised after saying Zack Polanski amplified "inaccurate and misinformed commentary" about an arrest following the Golders Green attack.

After the incident, two officers tasered and kicked the suspect in the head while trying to prise a knife from his hand.

Green Party of England and Wales leader Polanski then retweeted a post on X which said: "Essentially his officers were repeatedly and violently kicking a mentally ill man in the head when he was already incapacitated by [a] taser."

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Met chief Mark Rowley wrote a letter to Polanski to say he was "disappointed" in the politician after sharing the commentary, with Welsh Green leader Anthony Slaughter also saying Polanski's behaviour was "inappropriate".

But Rowley has since been heavily condemned for a "reckless political intervention", with some critics saying they have filed complaints.

Polanski has since apologised for the tweet saying: "Everyone in leadership has a responsibility for lowering the temperature at a time of such tension, and I apologise for sharing a tweet in haste.

"Police responses to emergency situations such as these do need later reflection in the right forums, but I accept that social media is not the appropriate channel for doing so. I have invited Mark Rowley to meet with me to discuss the police response and the wider issues raised in his letter."

Source: https://www.thenational.scot/news/26072585.met-police-accused-airbrushing-stabbing-third-man/