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Police have shot dead a terrorist who killed two people and seriously injured four others in an attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Using a car to ram into the grounds of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, the man then stabbed worshippers in a six-minute rampage that only ended when armed officers shot at him twice, fearing he also had an explosive device tied to his chest.
Counter-terrorism police said they knew the identity of the killer but it could not be disclosed because of “safety reasons at the scene”, and that two people had been arrested after the attack. The suspected bomb was later found to be a fake.
The suspect’s name does not appear in initial searches of counter-terrorism systems, sources have said, but he is believed to have connections to the Manchester area. He is not thought to have been under current investigation.
The attack drew widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum, with Keir Starmer calling the knife attacker a “vile individual” who “attacked Jews because they are Jews, and attacked Britain because of our values”. Political rivals Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage were among those joining him in showing support for the Jewish community.
The attack happened just days before the second anniversary of the 7 October attacks by Hamas in Israel. Police said there would be heightened security at synagogues and Jewish community centres in coming days. Research published today showed that more than a third (35%) of British Jews said they felt unsafe in the UK, compared with just 9% before the 7 October attacks.
The Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council said in a statement on Thursday evening: “We are devastated at the loss of two members of our Jewish community, and our thoughts are with their families, those who are injured and receiving treatment, and all those who have been affected by this act of antisemitic terror.”
They thanked police and the synagogue’s security team “for their courageous action” and everyone who had expressed solidarity for their support.
“At a time of rising antisemitism in the UK, this attack was sadly something we feared was coming,” they added. “We call on all those in positions of power and influence to take the required action to combat hatred against Jewish people, and will be working with the authorities on a series of additional measures to protect our community over the coming days.”
Starmer flew back to the UK early from a meeting of European leaders in Denmark in order to chair an emergency Cobra meeting after the incident before speaking to the nation from Downing Street..
Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: “Israel grieves with the Jewish community in the UK after the barbaric terror attack in Manchester.
“Our hearts are with the families of the murdered, and we pray for the swift recovery of the wounded.”
In reference to his combative speech at the UN general assembly last week, the Israeli prime minister added: “As I warned at the UN, weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it.”
At a press conference, the GMP chief constable, Sir Stephen Watson, said that, thanks to the bravery of worshippers, security staff and the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from entering the synagogue.
He said: “There were a large number of worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack.”
Witnesses were said to have seen a car driving erratically before a man got out and started attacking people with a knife. When it became clear what was happening, members of the congregation are said to have blockaded the doors to the synagogue.
Rob Kanter, 45, a university lecturer with a PhD in Jewish-Muslim relations, was inside the synagogue at the time of the attack. When he first heard the shots, Kanter said he felt “bewildered, because I think the adrenaline kicks in” and then found himself thinking “am I really hearing this?”
His first response then was “how are we going to keep ourselves and everyone else safe?” But he said the mood inside the synagogue was “actually relatively calm” as the attack unfolded outside.
Kanter said: “I would say the mood among our fellow congregants was very calm, and everyone deals with these things in their own way. Some people get through this in a very quiet way, others like to talk, some people even try to use an element of humour just to keep themselves going.”
Kanter said that once they were evacuated by police, the rabbi did his best to continue with the Yom Kippur service.
GMP said officers had been called to the synagogue on Middleton Road at 9.31am by a person who said he had witnessed a car being driven towards members of the public and that one man had been stabbed.
The force said: “Firearms officers were deployed at 9.34am as police continued to receive further reports from members of the public that a security guard had been attacked with a knife.”
It said it declared Plato – the national codeword used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack” – and a major incident at 9.37am.
“Shots were fired by Greater Manchester police firearms officers at 9.38am. One man has been shot, believed to be the offender. Paramedics arrived at the scene at 9.41 and are tending to members of the public, currently four members of the public with injuries caused by both the vehicle and stab wounds,” the statement continued.
Video shared on social media appeared to show police officers pointing guns at someone lying on the ground outside the front of the synagogue. Members of the public could be heard shouting to firearms officers that the suspect had a bomb strapped to him.
At a press conference outside New Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan police’s head of counter-terrorism policing, assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor, said: “We believe we know [the attacker’s] identity, but for safety reasons at the scene, we’re unable to confirm at this stage. … We have also made two further arrests, and based on what we know, counter-terrorism policing has declared this as a terrorist incident.”
He said three other members of the public were in a serious condition, but this figure was later confirmed to be four.
Distressed relatives and friends of those inside the building gathered at the cordon. A woman whose husband was inside the synagogue said she was sick with worry as she had been unable to contact him since the attack.
“We’re just waiting for news,” said the woman, who did not want to be identified. “I’ve not even got dressed yet, I just ran out in my pyjamas.”
Another woman, who lives nearby, said she had family and friends who attended the synagogue and she had rushed out as soon as she heard the police helicopter.
Olivia Gold said: “I’m absolutely distraught. It’s Jewish new year as well and this is the holiest day in the calendar … It would’ve been very busy, mainly with the men doing the service. It’s a big shul [synagogue].”
A delivery driver called Gareth, who told BBC Radio Manchester he witnessed the incident, said a man was “stabbing the window” and “trying to get into” the synagogue. “We got a bit closer. We seen a guy bleeding out on the floor. He was just basically unconscious on the floor, presumed, obviously, dead,” he said.
The CST, which monitors antisemitism in the UK, said: “ This appears to be an appalling attack on the holiest day of the Jewish year. We thank the GMP officers and synagogue security who responded immediately to deal with the incident.”
Starmer said “additional police assets” would be deployed at synagogues across the country. “We will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe,” he said.
A GMP spokesperson said: “We know today’s horrifying attack, on the Jewish community’s holiest day, will have caused significant shock and fear throughout all of our communities.
“We are grateful to the member of the public whose quick response to what they witnessed allowed our swift action, and as a result the offender was prevented from entering the synagogue.”
