Two people have died after an assailant drove a car into pedestrians and stabbed a security guard near a synagogue in England on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, British police say.
Greater Manchester Police said officers shot the suspect after being called to the scene at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Crumpsall district of the city in northern England on Thursday morning, local time.
Police acted after a witness said a car had rammed members of the public and that one man had been stabbed.
The suspect is believed to be dead but officers could not confirm this “due to safety issues surrounding suspicious items on his person”, with a bomb disposal unit called to the scene.
Two people have died after an attack near a synagogue in north Manchester. (Reuters: Phil Noble)
In addition to the two people confirmed dead, three others are in a serious condition.
After the attack, police were seen ushering a large group of mostly Jewish elderly men — some in tears, many looking shocked — away from the synagogue.
Starmer condemns ‘horrific’ attack
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said police were being deployed to synagogues across the country in the wake of the attack.
“I’m appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall,” Mr Starmer said on X as he left a European political meeting in Copenhagen early.
“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.”
A video shared on social media and verified by Reuters showed police shooting a man inside the synagogue’s perimeter, while another man lay on the floor in a pool of blood, appearing to wear a traditional Jewish head covering.
“We are grateful to the member of the public whose quick response to what they witnessed allowed our swift action, and as a result the offender was prevented from entering the synagogue,” a police spokesperson said.
“We know today’s horrifying attack, on the Jewish community’s holiest day, will have caused significant shock and fear throughout all of our communities.”
Britain’s King Charles said he was “deeply shocked and saddened” to learn of the attack, “especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community”.
Emergency services at the scene of the attack. (AP: Peter Byrne)
Ambulance crews in protective body armour
There is a heavy police presence in the area, according to a Reuters photographer, with ambulance crews also seen in protective body armour and helmets.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said it was a serious incident but told BBC radio that “the immediate danger appears to be over”.
Yom Kippur is the most sacred day on the Jewish calendar when even many non-regular synagogue-goers take time to pray and all road traffic stops in Israel.
Britain suffered its second worst year in modern times for antisemitism in 2024 with more than 3,500 incidents being recorded, reflecting sustained levels of hatred towards Jews, the Community Security Trust, a charity that provides security to Jewish organisations and institutions across Britain, said earlier this year.
Emergency personnel at the scene of the attack in north Manchester. (Reuters: Phil Noble)
Reported levels of antisemitism rocketed to record levels in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian enclave.
“This appears to be an appalling attack on the holiest day of the Jewish year,” the CST said on X.
Reuters/AP