The suspect in the Golders Green knife attacks has been named in reports as Essa Suleiman, 45, from south-east London.
Mr Suleiman is a British national who was born in Somalia and came to the UK as a child in the early 1990s, according to the BBC.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the suspect has a history of serious violence and mental health issues.
In an update on Thursday, Scotland Yard revealed the suspect was previously referred to the Government’s counter-extremism programme.
Police said a referral made to Prevent in 2020 was closed in the same year.
It is understood that Suleiman once lived in Camberwell and has worked as a Somali translator and a school security guard.
Body-worn footage released by the Metropolitan Police shows the moment their officers came face to face with the suspect after two Jewish men were knifed in the north London suburb.
The officers could be heard shouting “get down on the ground” before tasering the man and grappling with him as they could be heard to shout repeatedly “drop the knife”.
A member of the public could also be seen intervening and helping to apprehend the suspect.
“The suspect refused to show his hands, was violent and continued to pose a clear threat,” the force said.
Police have revealed they are investigating an altercation at an address in south-east London earlier on Wednesday, which is believed to involve the same suspect.
The Met said officers were called to an address in Great Dover Street, Southwark, at around 8.50am, after a suspect armed with a knife is believed to have had an altercation with the occupant before leaving.
The occupant suffered minor injuries, but the suspect was not found and officers believe he is the same man arrested in Golders Green.
