Two people were killed and three others seriously injured on Thursday in an attack outside a synagogue in Manchester, as worshippers marked Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The suspected assailant was shot dead by police.
Greater Manchester Police declared a “major incident” after reports of a car ramming into people followed by a stabbing outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Crumpsall area around 9:30 a.m. local time. Armed officers engaged the suspect, who was later found with “suspicious items” on his body, prompting the deployment of bomb disposal experts.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who left a European political summit in Denmark to chair an emergency meeting in London, condemned the incident as “horrific” and pledged stronger security at synagogues across the UK. “The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” he said.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla expressed their shock and sadness, while the Israeli Embassy in London described the attack as “abhorrent and deeply distressing.”
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Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham praised police and members of the public for their swift response but urged against speculation on social media.
The city, home to one of the UK’s largest Jewish communities, remains under heightened security as investigations continue.