'Religion doesn't matter' says man who tried to stop knife attack in Golders Green

Police officers work by cordon at the junction of Golders Green Road and the North Circular Road, in the Golders Green neighbourhood of north London, on April 29, 2026. Picture: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images A man who intervened during a knife attack in Golders Green has said that "religion doesn’t matter” when speaking about his spur of the moment attempt to stop Wednesday's terror attack. Iranian-born Ashkan Asadian rushed to help 76-year-old Moshe Shine as he was being attacked on Wednesday morning in Golders Green. Mr Asadian, who moved to the UK from Iran in 1999 and is now a British citizen, said it was a spur of the moment decision to try to disarm the attacker, as he feared he was "definitely going to kill" Shine. Mr Asadian followed the attacker into a nearby shop, where he barricaded him in with a shopping trolley to give police time to arrive."I saw him stabbing the old man in the neck," the 61-year-old told reporters. "I try to maybe [see if] I can save someone's life."“Religion, it doesn’t matter. Jewish or non-Jewish, [we're] just human," he added.Read more: US denies that Iran 'hit warship with two missiles' as tensions rise over Strait of HormuzRead more: Peter Kay show bomb hoax suspect ordered to leave courtroom after dock outbursts Police investigate a cordoned off area in the Golders Green neighbourhood of north London on April 29, 2026. Picture: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images CCTV footage showed Shine standing at a bus stop in North London when he was attacked. Mr Asadian's felt he "had to do something", but in his attempt to disarm the attacker, both men fell into to the main road.The attacker kept hold of the knife despite Mr Asadian's attempts, with the Iranian-born resident trying to kick the attacker's arm in the hopes he would drop it.Mr Asadian told the BBC he then had to back off as there was no-one else around to help. The attacker then walked into a greengrocer's next to the bus stop, as if he was a "normal shopper".After shouting a warning to the woman behind the till that the man had a knife, he barricaded the attacker in to bide time until the police arrived, with a bystander calling the police. Police officers secure a cordoned area on Highfield Avenue in Golders Green. Picture: Zeynep Demir Aslim/ZUMA Press Wire However, Mr Asadian felt it was too unsafe for the staff in the shop to keep the assailant trapped, so he moved aside - allowing the man to calmly walk out and head down the road.When police arrived shortly after, Mr Asadian pointed them towards the knifeman. He then waited with a female bystander who was trying to stop the bleeding from Mr Shine’s neck until an ambulance arrived.Shine, who suffered serious injuries in the attack, has now been discharged from hospital.Mr Asadian was not injured in the intervention.

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