A car was rammed into pedestrians and at least one person stabbed as worshippers arrived to celebrate Yom Kippur.
By Sarah Shamim
Share
Save
Three people – the attacker and two victims from the Jewish community – have died after a car was driven into pedestrians and a man was stabbed close to a synagogue in Manchester in northwest England on Thursday, according to British police. Three more victims of the attack are in a serious condition.
Later on Thursday, counter-terrorism police declared it a “terrorism incident” and said they were aware of the identity of the attacker. They have made two arrests, police told reporters.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said police had been deployed to synagogues across the country in response to the attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
“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.
Witnesses told police they saw a car being rammed into people walking on the street close to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, an outer suburb of Manchester. They also reported a man being stabbed.
Greater Manchester Police officers were called to the incident site at 9:31am (08:31 GMT) by a member of the public.
“GMP declared a major incident at 9.37am. Shots were fired by Greater Manchester Police firearms officers at 9.38am,” the police stated.
Paramedics arrived at the scene at 9:41am (08:41 GMT) and were tending to members of the public.
The National Health Service (NHS) North West Ambulance Service said in a statement that its crews had treated patients at the scene, and critically injured people had been transported to hospital.
The attack took place on Yom Kippur – the Jewish day of atonement when many members of the Jewish community, including those who are not frequent synagogue attendees, visit synagogues to pray and repent.
The attack took place at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, which is located in the north Manchester district of Crumpsall.
Crumpsall is an outer suburb, home to about 18,000 people, according to Manchester City Council. Trams and bus services feed from the suburb to the city centre, 3 miles (5km) away.
There has been a Jewish congregation in Crumpsall since 1935. The large Ashkenazi Orthodox synagogue was completed in 1967.
According to the police, two people died in the attack, while three others have been seriously injured. Their identities have not been revealed.
Police initially said they had shot the attacker but did not release details about his identity.
“One man has been shot, believed to be the offender,” the Greater Manchester Police wrote in an X post.
The police added that the attacker was believed to have been killed. “It cannot currently be confirmed due to safety issues surround[ing] suspicious items on his person,” it stated in an X post.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson told reporters that the attacker was wearing a vest which had the appearance of an explosive device.
Then, around 3:30 PM local time (14:30 GMT), Met Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said officials believed they knew the identity of the attacker, and confirmed that two people had been arrested, according to Reuters news agency.
No names have been released.
Starmer left a meeting with European leaders in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, early to deal with the incident.
“I’m already able to say that additional police assets are being deployed to synagogues across the country, and we will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe,” Starmer said.
In an X post, Starmer also wrote: “The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.”
Hamish Falconer, a member of the British parliament from Starmer’s Labour Party, wrote in an X post: “I’m horrified to hear of this incident at a synagogue I’ve been proud to visit. My thoughts are with everyone affected.”
On Thursday afternoon, Starmer held an emergency meeting at his office in Downing Street, London, to discuss the attack. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley were also seen arriving to attend.
The Greater Manchester Police have asked members of the public to stay away from the area while the police manage the situation.
They added that a large number of people who had gathered to worship in the synagogue initially remained inside the premises for safety, but have now been evacuated.
The police said they “declared PLATO” following the attack. This is a codeword used by the British police to refer to an incident that is being investigated as a Marauding Terrorist Attack (MTA), one in which attackers rapidly move through a location, aiming to kill or injure as many people as possible. This does not mean the incident has been declared a terrorist attack.
The police have opened a public portal, a Casualty Bureau for people to inquire about their family and friends who may have been at the scene. The portal also asks individuals who were involved in the incident and are now safe, to submit a report online.
Yes. Instances of anti-Semitism have been on the rise in the UK recently.
Community Security Trust (CST), a UK-based charity for the welfare of British Jews, reported 3,528 instances of anti-Semitism in 2024, the second highest recorded by CST in a single calendar year. Nineteen of the instances recorded in 2024 involved damage to synagogues.
The highest was in 2023, when 4,296 instances were recorded.
Since the onset of Israel’s war on Gaza, which began following a Hamas-led attack on army outposts and villages in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, an uptick in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents has been reported globally.
Follow Al Jazeera English:
