Two people have been killed and a suspect fatally shot by police following a violent attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday morning, coinciding with Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed that a security guard outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Middleton Road, Crumpsall, was stabbed, with several others injured after a car was driven into pedestrians. Three members of the public remain in a serious condition.
Officers were first alerted at 9:31am and within minutes declared a “major incident” under Operation Plato, the emergency protocol for a suspected terror attack. Armed officers confronted the attacker outside the synagogue, where video footage shows police shouting for onlookers to move back before shots were fired at 9:38am. The suspect, believed to be the offender, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police later reported that “suspicious items” had been found on the suspect’s person, prompting the deployment of bomb disposal experts. The attacker’s identity, background, and motive have not yet been disclosed.
Emergency services arrived within minutes, treating victims for stab wounds and injuries caused by the vehicle. Police credited a member of the public whose “quick response” helped prevent the attacker from entering the synagogue and potentially causing further casualties.
National Reaction
The attack has prompted shock and condemnation across the UK.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” by the incident and is cutting short his trip to a European leaders’ summit to chair an emergency Cobra meeting.
King Charles III issued a statement saying:
The Prince and Princess of Wales also expressed their sympathies, writing:
Community Response
The Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitism in the UK, described the attack as “appalling.”Local streets around the synagogue were sealed off as heavily armed police secured the area.
One member of the Jewish community, visibly shaken outside the synagogue, said:
Investigations are ongoing, and police are urging anyone with footage or images of the incident to come forward.
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that the suspect involved in Thursday’s synagogue attack has died after being shot by armed officers, bringing the total number of fatalities to three.
The man was confronted outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Crumpsall, north Manchester, just minutes after the alarm was raised. Officers opened fire when the attacker attempted to continue his assault, preventing him from entering the synagogue.