A suspected terrorist who killed two people at a Manchester synagogue has been pictured wearing what appears to be a bullet proof vest and a possible bomb.
The man, who was shot dead by police moments after launching the attack, targeted worshippers at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester shortly before 09:30am.
Two people were killed in the car and knife attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Three others are in a serious condition, Greater Manchester Police said.
It is not clear if the device strapped to the alleged attacker is a viable explosive device but a bomb disposal unit was sent to the scene.
Footage circulating on social media showed two armed police officers shout at the suspect as he lay on the ground after being shot.
The two firearms officers are then seen shouting at members of the public to “get back, he has got a bomb”.
Moments later, the suspect attempted to get to his feet before officers shouted a warning and gun shots rang out.
Another man, believed to be a security guard, could be seen lying on the ground at the entrance to the synagogue. He appeared to be severely injured with blood pooling on the pavement around him.
Police said it had “declared Plato” – the national code-word used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack”.
Sir Keir Starmer has flown back to the UK early from a meeting of European leaders in Denmark to chair an emergency Cobra meeting on the stabbing.
He said the Government will deploy “additional police assets” at synagogues across the country.
We’re expecting to hear from the head of counter-terrorism policing shortly.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor is due to make a statement, followed by a statement from the Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson.
The British Muslim Trust described the attack as “despicable” and “cowardly”, as it warned of potential retaliatory acts. 
The trust, a Government-funded organisation monitoring incidents of anti-Muslim hate, warned no-one should be allowed to “exploit this violence to deepen the division they seek”.
Akeela Ahmed, the trust’s chief executive, said: “The attack in Manchester this morning is shocking and utterly abhorrent, and to commit these acts on Yom Kippur is sickening. We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and our thoughts and best wishes go to all those affected.
“There is never, and can never be, any place for this sort of despicable, cowardly violence in our society. The British Muslim Trust stands with all victims of hate, and in particular today with the Jewish community, the people of Manchester and the Community Security Trust.
“We utterly condemn this disgraceful attack and offer our support to those left to pick up the pieces.
“Finally, in worrying times like these we ask Muslims and all communities to look out for each other and remain vigilant. We know there are some  who will seek to exploit this violence to deepen the division they seek – we must not let them.”
Sir Keir Starmer has now landed back on British soil after flying back to lead a Cobra meeting on the Manchester stabbings.
The Prime Minister was in Copenhagen in Denmark for a meeting of the European Political Community.
The Prince and Princess of Wales said in a personal message posted on social media: “Our thoughts are with the victims and the families of the terrible attack at Heaton Park Synagogue.
“The fact that this tragedy occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more shocking.
“We are thinking of the entire community as well as the emergency responders who attended this terrible incident.”
The message was signed “W & C”.
A witness has described the knifeman moving from victim to victim in a “robotic” manner.
Khurram Rafiq, who was driving past the building this morning, told the Mail said he had seen a car ram into a person.
He said: “Initially I thought it was an accident and that the driver had lost control for whatever reason. But he then got out and stabbed the man who was lying on the ground.
“This happened directly outside the synagogue. The knifeman walked through the front gates and stabbed at least two other men.”
The tech firm manager, 35, added: “He was quiet, there was no shouting from what I could hear nor any religious slogans or chants, he was very robotic in his actions like he had a job to do and was just focused on doing it.”
The attacker is then said to have approached and then banged on the locked door to the synagogue.
“People were trying to distract him by throwing stuff like plant pots but nobody was going near him,” he said, adding: “That, I think, was because round his waist he had what looked like a belt containing explosives.”
He said people peered from the synagogue windows, “afraid for their lives”.
It was meant to be a celebration of the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
But about half an hour into their Yom Kippur service, several hundred worshippers at Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester were interrupted by the sound of a screeching crash and screams from outside.
Six minutes of terror followed, ending with two dead at the hands of a suspected terrorist who was shot by police
The rampage began when a black Kia car, driven at speed along the busy Middleton Road, reportedly ploughed into a member of the synagogue’s security team, who was standing at the gates outside.
At exactly 9.31am, having witnessed the incident, a member of the public dialled 999.
But as they were reporting what they had seen, a man, wearing all black, climbed from the car carrying a knife and began stabbing the already injured security guard.
Read the full report here. 
A SAS helicopter has been spotted in the skies over Crumpsall. 
The air service, known as “Blue Thunder”, is part of an airborne Counter Terrorism initiative
On board is likely to be the SAS officer currently in command of the squadron assigned to the domestic Counter Terrorism role. 
He will be charged with providing military advice if requested by the police force in charge at the scene and working up options to resolve the crisis should the situation deteriorate and the incident be handed over from the police to the military.
A “loud bang” heard at the scene earlier was the police gaining entry into the suspect’s car.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: “In response to today’s major incident in Crumpsall, a loud noise was heard at the scene as specialist resources gained entry to the suspect’s vehicle as a precaution.
 “There is no risk to the public and ongoing activity in relation to this major incident can be expected as we continue our enquiries.
“People are urged to avoid the area and speak to our officers if they have any concerns. We have officers deployed across key sites in the local area.”
A regular worshipper at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue has described this morning’s attack as a “culmination of something the Jewish community has been fearing for two years”.
Raphi Bloom, co-chairman of North West Friends of Israel, told Sky News: “This attack is a culmination of something the Jewish community have been fearing for two years.
“We’ve been faced with a tsunami of Jew hatred since October 7 – vandalism, physical attacks, online abuse, mistreatment in the NHS by medics. University students have been intimidated and been attacked on campus.
“We’ve had hate marches every week throughout our street with disgusting Holocaust imagery comparing Jews to Nazis.
“And ultimately, almost every Jew in this country realised that this day would come. I never thought it would happen at my synagogue, to my friends, to my rabbi, in my city.
“It’s something we feared would come and has happened because there has been such inaction to tackle this wave of hatred targeting the Jewish community in the UK over a conflict two and a half thousand miles away.”
He called on every Jewish organisation in the UK to have “large fences around it” and 24-hour security.
Greater Manchester Police has confirmed that the attacker is dead. 
“We can confirm three people have died, including the offender, who was shot by GMP Firearms officers,” the police said.
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