A man has been charged with attempted murder after a rabbi was stabbed in Stoke Newington.

Police said Stanley Francis, 44, from Stoke Newington, was also charged with possessing an offensive weapon and will appear in custody at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Rabbi Alter Yaacov Schlesinger, who is in his 50s, was taken to hospital following the attack in Stoke Newington on Friday morning. 

Police have said the victim  - who is a rabbi at the Satmar Yeshiva in Stamford Hill - is in a stable condition  

His attacker was restrained by members of the public until police arrived.

Construction site manager Lazar Friedlander told how he ran to the scene with his brother after hearing a “serious scream”.

He said “We ran outside, I saw a Jewish man covered in blood. I’m Jewish myself, and I can see another Jewish man shouting ‘hold him, catch him, he’s got a knife! Stabbing!’

“There were a couple of other people trying to grab him. Me and my brother managed to force him down and put his hands behind his back until the police came.”