Two people were stabbed in north London on Wednesday, police said, adding that a man was arrested after reports of a suspect seen running with a knife in the Golders Green area.

Emergency services were called to the Golders Green area, which is in the heart of the Jewish community in London, after reports of a man seen running with a knife.

"A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. He was taken into custody, where he remains. We are working to establish his nationality and background," the police said.

According to a local Jewish community security organization, the suspect was attempting to attack passersby.

The group said its volunteers responded quickly and nabbed the individual before police arrived.

"Whilst I must stress this investigation is at an early stage, we are working quickly to understand exactly what happened," Counter Terrorism Policing head Laurence Taylor said in a statement.

Mark Rowley, head of the Metropolitan Police, said Wednesday that the 45-year-old suspect in the north London stabbing, which wounded two Jewish men, had a history of serious violence and mental health issues, describing the incident as a "horrendous act of violence" directed at the Jewish community. Authorities have formally declared the attack a terrorist incident, with Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor saying specialized counterterrorism teams are working to establish the full circumstances, including whether the victims were deliberately targeted because of their identity, while coordinating closely with security services to build a comprehensive intelligence picture.

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who leads policing in the area, said he was "aware of the significant distress and concern this incident is likely to cause in the face of a number of incidents in the local area."

He adds that the suspect is in custody, and investigators are "considering all possible motives."

The police statement also said the suspect attempted to stab police officers and was tasered before being arrested. No officers were injured.

"Two men - one in his 70s and one in his 30s - were treated at the scene for stab wounds. They have been taken to the hospital and both are in a stable condition," the statement said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called the stabbing in Golders Green "deeply concerning."

"There is now a police investigation, and I think we all need to do everything we can to support that investigation and be absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offences, the like of which we've seen too much recently," he said at the House of Commons.

In a social media statement, London Mayor Sadiq Khan called the stabbing "an appalling attack on two Jewish Londoners."