The husband of a woman seen cutting down yellow ribbons for Jewish hostages held captive in Gaza have claimed he and his wife have been attacked by a group of people “probably working for Mossad”.
Nadia Yahlom, 36, who is married to a Palestinian actor, was filmed a day before the anniversary of October 7 using scissors to remove ribbons tied to railings near a synagogue in Muswell Hill, north London.
When confronted by horrified bystanders Ms Yahlom, a taxpayer-funded PhD student at the University of Westminster, declared that the bands were “condoning genocide”.
She voluntarily attended a police station and was interviewed under caution.
Her mother told The Times her daughter has been “pounded by death threats” since the incident and they have had to call the Metropolitan Police.
Husband Mo’min Swaitat removed all his previous posts on Instagram, and wrote that he and his wife will not be responding to messages because they have been “attacked by an extremist group probably working for mosad [sic] in our neighbourhood in north London”.
“We have been attacked and stranded to be killed etc,” he claimed.
Mr Swaitat, a director from the West Bank, moved to London in 2011.
Police have stepped up reassurance patrols after a video of Ms Yahlom was posted online.
Miranda Levy, who captured the original footage of the vandalism, said: “As a Jewish person I felt that pull to do something. It feels personal.
“These ribbons are to remember all the people who were kidnapped and those who are still there.
“There is a climate that it’s acceptable, you can get away with it and even more than that, that people applaud it.
“People think [they] are on the side of the good, the side of the righteous by standing against Israel and the Jewish people.
“Frankly what she was doing was anti-Jewish, anti-Israel and anti-humanity.”
Scotland Yard said: “At approximately 4.25pm on Monday, October 6, officers were made aware of a video circulating online which appears to show a woman removing the ribbons in Muswell Hill.
“Officers attended the location and are reviewing the footage to determine whether any offences, including hate crime or criminal damage, have been committed. Inquiries remain ongoing.”
