A British-Iranian man who helped to halt the Golders Green knife attack has said that he confronted the knifeman because he wanted to “save a life”.
Ashkan Asadian, who lives in the area with his two children, having moved from Iran to the UK in 1999, spoke to the Telegraph about his experience of last Wednesday’s attack, which left two Jewish men hospitalised.
Asadian said that, when he saw 76-year-old Moshe Shine being stabbed in the neck, he felt he “[had] to do something”.
“I just tried to keep him busy, [to] get the knife,” he said. “I [tried] to kick his arm, [hoping] he [would] drop the knife.”
However, Asadian backed off when he realised how dangerous the situation was.
The attacker then reportedly fled to a nearby shop, and Asadian followed, where he used a shopping trolley to prevent him from exiting.
Asadian also warned the cashier, as a bystander called the police, but then realised the attacker could try to stab customers in the shop so he backed away again and let him leave.
He, along with the bystander, proceeded to stay with Shine and help stop the bleeding from his neck, as police arrived and tasered the attacker.
“Religion - it doesn’t matter,” Asadian said. “Jewish or non-Jewish, [they are] human.”
The other victim, 35-year-old Shloime Rand, has since been discharged from hospital.
Essa Suleiman, 45, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of carrying a blade in public, as well as a third count of attempted murder for a separate incident earlier that day in Southwark.
He remains in custody and is due at the Old Bailey on May 15.
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