Two people were killed on Thursday when a man drove a car into pedestrians and stabbed a security guard in an attack at a synagogue where worshippers were marking Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, British police said.
Greater Manchester Police said the suspect, who was wearing what appeared to be a vest with an explosive device, was shot dead after officers rushed to the scene at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Crumpsall district of the city in northern England.
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.
Manchester attack declared terrorist incident
“He has a bomb, go away!” an armed police officer shouted to onlookers, just seconds before a gunshot rang out.
Neighbour Angela Crawshaw told Reuters she had seen three policemen aiming guns at a man in the car park of the synagogue, telling him: “Stay down, don’t move or we’ll shoot.”
“Then they did shoot, and he fell to the floor. Then he tried getting up again and moving again, and they shot him again. And then it was just panic,” she said.
A bomb disposal unit was later called to the scene, and police confirmed the device that the suspect was wearing was not viable.
Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, Laurence Taylor, said the attack had been declared a terrorist incident. He said the police believed they knew the identity of the attacker, but were not able to confirm it yet.
Two people had also been arrested, he said.
“Communities across the UK who would normally be marking this holy day are now grieving, and worried about their safety,” he told reporters. “I want to be clear: UK policing is mobilising. And mobilising fast.”
Starmer promises security to jewish community
Antisemitism has soared to record levels in Britain since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who rushed away early from a European summit in Copenhagen to chair an emergency meeting in London, promised to do everything he could to provide security to the Jewish community and deployed more police to synagogues.
“We must be clear, it is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again,” he said.
“To every Jewish person in this country, I also want to say this: I know how much fear you will be holding inside of you, I really do. And so on behalf of our country, I express my solidarity, but also my sadness that you still have to live with these fears.”
But Gideon Saar, the foreign minister of Israel, which has criticised Britain for its recent decision to recognise a Palestinian state, said authorities had failed to curb antisemitism and “effectively allowed it to persist”.
“The truth must be told: blatant and rampant antisemitic and anti-Israeli incitement, as well as calls of support for terror, have recently become a widespread phenomenon in the streets of London, in cities across Britain, and on its campuses,” Saar said on X.
“We expect more than words from the Starmer government.”
Three others in serious condition
As well as the suspect and two members of the public who were confirmed dead, three other people were in a serious condition.
After the attack, police were seen ushering about 30 mostly Jewish elderly men – some in tears, many looking shocked – and some young children away from the synagogue. Some were wearing white robes, others were in suits and wearing a skullcap.
“Thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and the worshippers inside, as well as the fast response of police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access,” said Greater Manchester Police’s Chief Constable Stephen Watson.
King Charles said he was “deeply shocked and saddened”.
Suspect was ‘stabbing anyone near him’
Another neighbour by the synagogue, Chava Lewin, said the attacker had gone for the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue.
“The second he got out of the car he started stabbing anyone near him,” she told British media.
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 reported its second worst year in modern times for antisemitism in 2024 with more than 3,500 incidents being recorded, the Community Security Trust, which provides security to Jewish organisations across Britain, said earlier this year.
Attacks on Jews and Jewish targets have risen worldwide since the Gaza conflict erupted, including in France and Germany where incidents have surged. French President Emmanuel Macron said on X that France stood beside Britain’s Jewish community.
Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., Britain has suffered a number of Islamist militant attacks, with the worst being the July 2005 suicide bombings in the London transport network which killed 52 people.
More recently, a 2017 suicide bomb attack at the end of an Ariana Grande pop concert in Manchester killed 22 people and injured hundreds. British police and security services say 43 late-stage attack plots have been thwarted since March 2017.
British police have in recent years also warned about the threat from organised far-right terrorism.
