A horrific attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, has left two people dead and three others seriously injured, with police treating the incident as a terrorist attack.
The assault, which occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, has sent shockwaves through the community and prompted a swift response from authorities.
Greater Manchester Police were called to the synagogue shortly after 9:30am on Thursday, following reports of a car ramming into members of the public and a man being stabbed.
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Firearms officers responded within minutes, discharging their weapons at 9:38am, shooting a man believed to be the attacker.
The suspect is thought to have died, though police have not yet confirmed this due to “suspicious items” found on his person, prompting the deployment of a bomb disposal unit to the scene.
In a series of updates on X, police confirmed that two people were killed in the attack, with four others sustaining serious injuries from both the vehicle collision and stab wounds.
Paramedics arrived by 9:41am to treat the wounded. The police declared “Plato,” the national codeword for a marauding terror attack, underscoring the severity of the incident.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who cut short his attendance at a European Political Community summit in Copenhagen to return to the UK, expressed his horror at the attack. “I’m appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall,” he posted on X.
“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.
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Starmer announced that additional police officers would be deployed to synagogues nationwide and is set to attend a Cobra emergency meeting to address the crisis.
Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from London, noted that the government’s response, including the Cobra meeting, signals the incident’s perceived threat to national security. “It appears that the British government is taking this attack pretty seriously,” he said.
King Charles expressed his deep shock and sadness, while the Israeli embassy in London condemned the attack as “abhorrent and deeply distressing.”
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, told BBC Radio Manchester that while the suspect is believed to be deceased, providing some reassurance, the investigation remains active.
Eyewitness footage shared on social media captured the chaotic scene outside the synagogue, showing armed officers shouting at bystanders to retreat as they pointed weapons at a person on the ground.
A gunshot was heard, and another individual was seen lying motionless with blood near their head, according to the UK’s PA news agency.
The synagogue, crowded with worshippers observing Yom Kippur – a day of solemnity and fasting akin to Christmas for Christians – was evacuated after the area was secured.
Armed police in combat fatigues, supported by dozens of emergency vehicles and a police helicopter, cordoned off the site.
Dave Rich of the Community Security Trust, a charity monitoring anti-Semitism, highlighted the significance of the timing. “Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year,” he said, emphasising the profound impact of the attack on the community.
The identities of the attackers are unknown at this time as the police continue its investigation.
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