LONDON, Sept 25 (Reuters) – 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.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; writing by Sam Tobin; editing by William James and Kate Holton)
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