Man pleads not guilty to attempted murder of two Jewish men in London

A 45-year-old man pleaded not ​guilty on Friday to ​attempting to murder two ‌Jewish men ​who were stabbed in a knife attack in north London in April, an offence prosecutors said they ‌were no longer treating as terrorism.

Essa Suleiman, a British national who was born in Somalia, is alleged to have attacked the men in Golders Green on ‌April 29, one of a spate of incidents targeting Jewish premises in ‌the same area of London which is home to a large Jewish population. The attacks left Britain's 290,000 Jews fearing for their safety, and prompted the government to promise stronger ⁠action to protect ​them.

Suleiman appeared ⁠for a brief hearing at London's Old Bailey court on Friday and pleaded not guilty ⁠to two counts of attempted murder. He also denied a third count of attempted murder, ​relating to an unconnected incident at the home of a former acquaintance earlier ⁠the same day, and possession of a bladed article.

Police had initially said the stabbings ⁠were ​being investigated as suspected terrorism. Prosecutor Deanna Heer said on Friday, however, that the Crown Prosecution Service had concluded that following a review, there was ⁠no sufficient evidence to say the stabbings had a terrorist connection.

Suleiman was remanded ⁠in custody and ⁠will next appear in court on January 15, with his trial due to start in March.