Police declared it a "terrorist attack" after an assailant drove a car into a crowd outside a synagogue in the UK's Crumpsall on Thursday and began stabbing them. Police confirmed that two people were killed and three were seriously wounded during the incident that occurred on the holiest day of the Jewish year.
Police said that two arrests have been made in the 'terrorist' synagogue attack. Greater Manchester Police arrived at the scene after they got a call from a witness who saw a car being driven towards members of the public and one man being stabbed.
Officers present at the incident site shot and killed a suspect. According to Greater Manchester Police, cops took some time to confirm that the assailant was dead because of concerns he had an explosive on him.
A bomb disposal unit was called.
Starmer condemns attack
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the incident and said he was 'appalled' by the attack at Manchester synagogue.
"The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific. My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders," he said in a post on X.
Starmer will cut short his attendance at a summit of European leaders and will leave the meeting in Copenhagen early to return to the UK. He will chair an emergency crisis meeting, known as COBRA, according to AFP.
Emergency services at the scene of a stabbing at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, in Crumpsall. (Pic credit: AP)
Britain's King Charles III also expressed sorrow over the deadly incident, saying he was "deeply shocked and saddened."
The king added that he and Queen Camilla were "deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community" as members celebrated the Yom Kippur holiday.
Great Manchester mayor calls it 'serious incident'
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, told the BBC that it is a "serious incident" and advised people to "avoid the area."
"At the same time, I can give some assurance that the immediate danger appears to be over," he told BBC.
According to Burnham, the incident was dealt "effectively" by the police.
Injured people being treated
Cops were alerted to the incident at 9:31 am (0831 GMT) and paramedics were treating "four members of the public with injuries caused by both the vehicle and stab wounds," the police said on X.
Attack took place on Yom Kippur
The North West Ambulance Service confirmed to BBC that it is a major incident.
The incident took place at an Orthodox synagogue on Yom Kippur, a holy day in the Jewish calendar.
"This is every rabbi's or every Jewish person's worst nightmare," Rabbi Jonathan Romain, of Maidenhead Synagogue and head of the Rabbinic Court of Great Britain, told AP. "Not only is this a sacred day, the most sacred in the Jewish calendar, but it's also a time of mass gathering."
Following Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack, antisemitic incidents in UK have soared. According to a report of AP, more than 1,500 incidents were reported in the first half of the year.
Police declared Plato
Before declaring it a "terrorist attack," police had earlier declared "Plato." It is a national code-word used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack."
Witness recalls the horror
Chava Lewin recalled the horrific moment when she heard a bang. She thought it was a firework, but her husband ran inside and said there had been a "terrorist attack."
"She thought maybe he had a heart attack," Lewin told AP, who lives next to the synagogue. "The second he got out of the car, he started stabbing anyone near him. He went for the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue."
Video captures a suspect
A video has gone viral on social media, showing cops with guns pointing at a person. The person was lying on the ground beneath a blue Star of David on the brick wall.
A person believed to be a bystander was heard saying that the man had a bomb and was trying to detonate it. A gunshot rang when he tried to stand up and then fell.
According to AP, cops later detonated an explosion to get into the suspect's car.
Attack at synagogue