‘Appalled’ UK PM Starmer departs early from a European summit in Copenhagen and decries that this happened on Yom Kippur.
By News Agencies
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Police in the United Kingdom have identified the suspect in Thursday’s “terror” attack outside a synagogue in the north of Manchester that left three people dead.
The Greater Manchester Police named 35-year-old Jihad al-Shamie as the assailant, saying he was a British citizen of Syrian descent.
Police said in a series of posts on X that they were called to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall shortly after 9:30am (08:30 GMT) by a member of the public, who said he had witnessed a car being rammed into people and that one man had been stabbed.
Minutes later, al-Shamie was fatally shot by officers.
Paramedics tended to four people with injuries caused by both the vehicle and stab wounds, and a bomb disposal unit was called to the scene.
Police confirmed late Thursday that three suspects — two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s — had been taken into custody and “have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism”.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson told reporters earlier in the day that the attacker was wearing a vest that had the appearance of an explosive device. But police said later that the device worn by the attacker “was not viable”.
Sam Martin, a 41-year-old man from nearby Bowkervale, has been living in the area for seven years and was shocked by the violence.
“As you can see, this is an [affluent] neighbourhood, look at all the electric cars,” he told Al Jazeera.
“There’s everyone here – Muslim, Jewish, everyone. I’ve known nothing but love and kindness from our Jewish community. I’m just shocked this could happen,” he added.
Another resident from the area, Zaki, told Al Jazeera that he heard the shots when they were fired.
“It didn’t seem believable. I thought it was fireworks till I heard the police and the helicopter” arrive, the 23-year-old software engineer said.
“Our community gets on well. Our neighbours are Jewish,” Zaki said. He expressed concern about “racists” staging attacks under the pretext of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Following the incident, Prime Minister Keir Starmer decided to depart early from a summit of the European Political Community, an intergovernmental forum for political and strategic discussions about the future of the continent, in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Speaking before his flight, Starmer said additional police officers would be deployed at synagogues across the UK.
Upon his arrival in London, Starmer chaired an emergency response meeting in London, a reflection of how seriously the government was taking the attack.
“That suggests that Keir Starmer and the UK government believe this to be an incident of significant threat, a terrorist incident or something along those lines, something that threatens the fabric of UK life and UK society,” Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from London, said.
“It appears that the British government is taking this attack pretty seriously,” he added.
Following Thursday’s meeting, Starmer said the attack specifically targeted the Jewish community.
“Earlier today, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day for the Jewish community, a vile individual committed a terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews, and attacked Britain because of our values,” Starmer said.
He added that the country must defeat rising anti-Semitism and that he would do “everything in [his] power” to protect the Jewish community.
Earlier, Starmer said on X: “I’m appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall … The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.
“My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders.”
I’m appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall.
The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.
My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency…
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 2, 2025
King Charles said he was “deeply shocked” and “saddened” by the attack.
Rabbi Jonathan Romain, head of the Rabbinic Court of Great Britain, said the incident would raise fears among Jews that political violence could turn to religious hatred.
The Muslim Council of Britain said it unequivocally condemned the act of violence, adding that the timing of the attack on Yom Kippur made it “all the more distressing”.
The Israeli embassy in London condemned the attack as “abhorrent and deeply distressing” in a social media post.
The attack comes on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. It is a time when synagogues are usually busy.
London’s Metropolitan Police said after the attack that it had deployed additional officers around synagogues, “other Jewish community venues and in those boroughs with significant Jewish populations”. The Met said there was no indication of an increased threat to the capital, but had taken precautionary measures.
A large number of people worshipping at the synagogue at the time of the incident were held inside while the immediate area was made safe.
Police officers dressed in black combat fatigues and carrying machineguns could be seen inside the cordon around the synagogue. The area was swamped by dozens of police vehicles, along with fire and ambulance crews, while the force helicopter hovered overhead, said PA.
Dave Rich, of the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that monitors anti-Semitism in the UK, said the day is similar to Christmas Day for Christians, but is a day of solemnity and fasting rather than celebration.
“Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year,” he said.
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