Two people were killed and three others seriously injured on Thursday after a car and stabbing attack outside a synagogue in Manchester, United Kingdom. Police said the suspect was shot by armed officers and is also believed to be dead.
The attack happened outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Crumpsall area around 9:30 a.m., as the Jewish community gathered for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Greater Manchester Police declared a “major incident” and said paramedics treated victims for injuries caused by both the car and knife. A bomb disposal team was also called after officers found “suspicious items on the suspect’s person.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack as “horrific” and promised stronger security at UK synagogues.
“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” he said.
Starmer left a European summit in Denmark early to chair an emergency security meeting in London.
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King Charles III and Queen Camilla said they were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”
A witness told BBC Radio he saw officers shoot the attacker after a car crashed.
“They give him a couple of warnings, he didn’t listen until they opened fire. He went down on the floor, and then he started getting back up, and then they shot him again,” the man said.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham praised the quick police response and the support of members of the public.
He urged people not to speculate online but admitted the Jewish community would be “very worried by the news.”
Israel’s embassy in the UK called the attack “abhorrent and deeply distressing,” adding, “The safety and security of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom must be guaranteed.”
The Community Security Trust, a Jewish charity that tracks antisemitic incidents, said: “This appears to be an appalling attack on the holiest day of the Jewish year.”
Manchester is home to one of the UK’s largest Jewish communities, with more than 28,000 members, according to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research.
The city has previously suffered deadly terror attacks, including the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing that killed 22 people and injured hundreds.