The attack took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, when worshippers traditionally spend the day fasting and in prayer.
Two people have been killed in a car ramming and knife attack at a synagogue in Manchester, northern England on Oct. 2, according to police.
A third person, a man believed to be the offender, was shot by police and is also believed to be deceased, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said on X.
“Three other members of the public remain in a serious condition,” the police said in an update shortly after midday local time. “A large number of people worshipping at the synagogue at the time of the incident, were held inside while the immediate area was made safe but have since been evacuated.”
Police said that they could not confirm the death of the suspect “due to safety issues surround suspicious items on his person,” adding that the bomb disposal unit has been called and was at the scene.
The attack took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, when worshippers traditionally spend the day fasting and in prayer.
Greater Manchester Police said they were called at 9:31 a.m. to Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, three miles north of Manchester city center, after a member of the public reported that a car had been driven at people outside the building and that a man had been stabbed.
Minutes later, firearms officers were deployed as more calls came in reporting that a security guard had been attacked with a knife.
At 9:37 a.m., police declared PLATO, a code used nationally to signal a suspected terrorist attack. The protocol is a pre-arranged, nationwide response to marauding attacks, designed to bring rapid coordination between local and national agencies.
Police said that paramedics arrived at 9:41 a.m. and were treating casualties at the scene.
UK political leaders have condemned the attack.
“I’m appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall. The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a post on X. “My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders.”
Starmer cut short his trip to a European leaders’ meeting in Denmark to chair an emergency response meeting in London following the incident.
Speaking before he flew back from Copenhagen, he said that “additional police assets are being deployed to synagogues across the country.” He vowed to “do everything” to keep the Jewish community in the UK safe.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was horrified by the news.
“My first thoughts are with the victims, our brave police and emergency services. I am being kept updated by Greater Manchester Police,” Mahmood said in a post on X. “I urge people to follow the advice of the emergency services.”
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp condemned the attack.
“On Yom Kippur–the holiest day of the Jewish year–families gathered in prayer were targets for violence,” Badenoch said in a post on X.
The Liberal Democrats and Reform UK issued statements expressing solidarity with the Jewish community.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney said that “antisemitism is an evil we must confront and stand resolutely against.”
