Two people have been killed and four others taken to hospital after an attack on a synagogue in Manchester. The suspect has been shot dead by police, who say the incident was a terrorist attack. Sir Keir Starmer has returned to the UK for an emergency COBRA meeting. Follow the latest.
Thursday 2 October 2025 17:26, UK
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Tributes to those killed and injured during this morning’s attack are now beginning to appear in Crumpsall.
Greater Manchester Police has provided an update on the device that the suspect was wearing when he carried out the attack.
It says the device, which police had feared was an explosive device, “was not viable”.
Police added that PLATO status- a code meaning “marauding terror attacks” – had now been stood down, but major incident status remains.
“We are working to get answers to other questions asked earlier as soon as we are able to and will update you proactively,” police added.
The Israeli foreign minister says he’s “appalled” by this morning’s “murderous attack” in Manchester and said the Jewish community of Britain is facing a “horrific wave of antisemitism”.
Gideon Sa’ar says: “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.
“The authorities in Britain have failed to take the necessary action to curb this toxic wave of antisemitism and have effectively allowed it to persist.
“We expect more than words from the Starmer government. We expect and demand a change of course, effective action, and enforcement against the rampant antisemitic and anti-Israeli incitement in Britain.”
A couple near the site of the attack tell Sky they were “shocked and nervous” when they found out about the attack – because they believed their granddaughter was at the synagogue. 
She leads a weekly children service, the couple says, adding “there’d be a lot of children in there” as the attack happened.
They say they haven’t heard about the granddaughter’s whereabouts yet and are feeling “vulnerable” and “very worried” about the state of the Jewish community.
Watch the full interview below:
The North West Ambulance Service has given us a quick update.
They say they still have crews on the scene to support the response.
Four patients were taken to hospitals, they add, though they don’t say what condition they are in at this point.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of life as a result of the horrific incident on Middleton Road, Crumpsall, this morning,” the service says.
Two victims were killed in the attack in Crumpsall. Police then confirmed the man believed to be the attacker was shot dead.
While there has been “no impact” on their ability to provide emergency care, they are reminding the public only to call 999 in an emergency. 
Police say this morning’s attack on a synagogue in Manchester has been declared a terrorist incident, with two arrests made.
Here’s what we know so far:
And here’s what we don’t know:
Watch: Moment police shoot suspect
Watch: Local residents react to attack
Watch: Bomb disposal squad on scene
Watch: Suspect ‘shot within seven minutes’
Police earlier confirmed that two people had been arrested over the attack.
A witness says he saw two men being detained on a road near the synagogue.
He says the men were led away by police in handcuffs on White House Avenue, a cul-de-sac a short drive north along Middleton Road from the scene.
“They’ve arrested two people on our road,” the witness says.
He says he did not know the men or which house they were linked to, but saw “six or seven police cars with armed police” on the road and a police helicopter flying above.
The immediate neighbourhood where today’s attack took place is, by one measure, the most multicultural in the whole of England and Wales.
For statistical purposes, we are each placed in to one of 35,672 small neighbourhood zones for the census, the populations of which average 1,600 people. So they’re generally made up of just a handful of streets.
The neighbourhood where the attack took place is the only one of those in England and Wales where Jews, Muslims and Christians each represent more than 20% of the population.
Sir Keir Starmer has arrived at Downing Street for the emergency COBRA meeting.
The PM was at an EU meeting in Copenhagen today but has flown back to attend.
He didn’t answer any questions from the media as he entered Number 10, but earlier today he said he was “absolutely shocked” by the attack.
He added “additional police assets are being deployed to synagogues across the country”.
Inquiries are moving “at pace”, Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson says, adding: “Our priority is to keep the public safe.”
“I want to share my gratitude to all of those members of the public who called the police as soon as they saw what was happening,” he says.
“This allowed the quick response from our officers, who were able to act swiftly and bravely to bring this horrendous attack to an end.”
He says today’s “horrific events” will have a “significant impact” on “all of our communities, not only in Greater Manchester but across our country”.
Call for patience
“There will be lots of questions that people would like answers to and quickly, but please understand that some of this will take time,” he adds.
“What I can say is that the highly visible response to these dreadful incidents will be sustained as we work to understand the full circumstances of what has happened.”
He’s also urging people to “refrain from sharing disturbing and insensitive content online”.
If you have information, “then share it with the police”, he says.
The news conference comes to an end.
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