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Police have confirmed two members of the Jewish community have died following car and knife attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar
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Police have named the man behind a terrorist attack on a synagogue in Greater Manchester that left two people dead as Jihad Al-Shamie.
Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the car and stabbing attack on Thursday morning.
Two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s have also been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack in connection with the killings.
It is understood that Al-Shamie’s name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service records, and he is not thought to have been under current investigation.
The suspect, was wearing a vest that looked like an “explosive device”, which was later found to be not be “viable”.
Sir Keir Starmer has condemned the “vile” attack as he said Britain “must defeat” rising antisemitism.
The prime minister, who visited the synagogue on Thursday evening, said: “While this is not a new hate, this is something Jews have always lived with, we must be clear, it is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again.”
“The investigation into the attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in north Manchester this morning continues.
“We can confirm that three suspects are currently in custody and have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. They are two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s.
“Scenes remain in place on White House Avenue, Crumpsall and Langley Crescent, Prestwich, which are also linked to the arrests.
“We are now able to confirm that, although formal identification is yet to take place, we believe the person responsible for today’s attacks is 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie. He is a British citizen of Syrian descent.
“A suspicious device worn by the attacker during the incident has been assessed and was deemed not to be viable.
“Based on what we currently know, our records do not show any previous Prevent referrals relating to this individual.
“Two innocent men were sadly pronounced dead following the incident.
“Three other men remain in hospital with serious injuries. One sustained a stab wound and a second was struck by the car involved in the attack.
“The third man later presented himself at hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker.
“We are working to formally identify those who have tragically been killed and provide support to their loved ones, in addition to the injured and the wider community.
“We are working to understand the motivation behind the attack as the investigation continues.”
Two men were killed in the terrorist attack outside a Manchester synagogue, Greater Manchester Police have said.
Three other men remain in hospital with serious injuries following the attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall.
One sustained a stab wound and a second was struck by the car involved in the attack, the force said.
The third man later presented himself at hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker.
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that Plato, the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack”, has been stood down.
It is still being treated as a major incident, the force added.
Two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism connected to the synagogue attack, Greater Manchester Police said.
The man who carried out the Manchester synagogue terrorist attack has been named by Greater Manchester Police as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent.
Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that protects the Jewish community from antisemitism, said his organisation will do “everything that we can to strengthen the protection of our Jewish communities”.
In a video statement posted on X, Mr Gardner said: “On behalf of everyone at CST, I send our prayers and our deepest, deepest sympathies to the families, the loved ones, of those lost in today’s terrorist attack at Heaton Park synagogue in the heart of the Jewish community in North Manchester.
“I praise the courage of the CST personnel, the commercial security guards and the synagogue congregants whose speedy reactions, and whose use of the security doors of the synagogue have prevented even more casualties than those who were cruelly lost.
“I thank the police for their swift reaction in neutralising the terrorist. We will work in the coming days with our Jewish community in North Manchester and with Jewish communities all across the UK, with the police, with the Government, we will do everything that we can to strengthen further the protection of our Jewish communities, to ensure that Jewish life can continue and that British Jews, British Jews, can lead the life of their choice, as they must be able to do.
“Thank you for joining us in this mission, and thank you for supporting and cooperating with our ongoing security efforts.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has visited a synagogue this evening, it is understood.
Earlier today he chaired an emergency Cobra meeting in London.
The suspect’s name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service counter-terrorism records, and he is not thought to have been under current investigation.
Further checks are being carried out to see if any of his details appear anywhere in records of other investigations.
Authorities have not yet released his name to the public.
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