Iranian hero helped save Jewish life in Golders Green stabbing attack
A British-Iranian man described his role in helping save lives during last Wednesday’s terror attack in Golders Green in north London, saying Iranian and Jewish communities have a “good relationship.”
Ashkan Asadian, a 61-year-old immigrant from Iran, leapt into action when he saw the assailant – now known to be Essa Suleiman from Somalia – attacking an elderly Jewish man near a bus stop in his north London neighborhood.
After witnessing Suleiman stabbing Moshe Shine (76) in the neck, he believed the assailant was “definitely going to kill him” and said knew he had to do something.
“I just tried to keep him busy, get the knife,” Asadian said, adding that he “tried a few times to catch the knife.”
“He tried to throw the knife at me, because I tried to kick his arm,” Asadian told the BBC, explaining how he tried to disarm the attacker. “But I find out… it is quite dangerous really,” he added, realizing no one else was around to help.
“You want to save someone, to help someone, that is a Jewish guy… I'm living with them,” he said, explaining that his family lives in the area. Asadian, now a British citizen, emigrated from Iran in 1999 and has two children who live in Golders Green.
He continued, “Most of the Iranian and Jewish people, they have a good relationship - they have no problem. It wasn’t really different to me, really… Jewish or non-Jewish… You know, they’re human, right?”
Following the confrontation, Suleiman abandoned his victim and fled into a store. Asadian then attempted to imprison the attacker using a shopping cart to block his exit, allowing the injured Jewish man to escape. However, he realized those in the store were in danger and removed the cart, at which point the assailant calmly walked out of the shop and left the scene.
When police arrived, Asadian directed them toward the attacker and remained with Shine until an ambulance arrived, as a bystander tried to stem the bleeding from his neck.
The attacker was later tackled and arrested by police, together with volunteers for Shomrim, a Jewish organization that provides support for emergency and security services.
While the attack has been described as antisemitic in nature, Suleiman (45) stabbed another man named Ishmail Hussein in Great Dover Street, Southwark, earlier in the day.
He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of possessing a bladed article in a public place in connection with the attack, and was remanded in custody, according to The Telegraph.
Security camera footage of the attack shows Asadian running to help seconds after the stabbing. He recalled thinking in that moment, “Maybe I can save someone’s life.”
The incident, which left two Jewish men hospitalized, took place in a time of heightened antisemitic rhetoric and violence in the United Kingdom. Kemi Badenoch, leader of the British Conservative Party, said the situation constitutes a “national emergency.”
In an unusual move, the BBC turned off comments for this story on its social media.
Jo Elizabeth has a great interest in politics and cultural developments, studying Social Policy for her first degree and gaining a Masters in Jewish Philosophy from Haifa University, but she loves to write about the Bible and its primary subject, the God of Israel. As a writer, Jo spends her time between the UK and Jerusalem, Israel.
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