Britain Synagogue Attack: In a horrific incident, two people were killed and three others left seriously injured following an attack outside Heaton Park Synagogue in north Manchester on Sunday morning when people from the Jewish community gathered to mark their sacred day, police confirmed. According to police, injuries were caused by vehicle and stab wounds. Police said that a member of the public told responding officers that he had seen a car being driven towards a crowd of the people. Police said firearms officers responded to the call.
According to the BBC, Greater Manchester Police said they received reports at around 9:30 a.m. of a vehicle being driven towards people and a man armed with a knife outside the synagogue on Middleton Road in Crumpsall. The attack coincided with Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, when the synagogue was filled with worshippers.
Another man, believed to be the suspect, was shot by police and is also thought to have died. Officers said they were unable to confirm his condition immediately because “suspicious items” were found on his body, prompting the deployment of a bomb disposal unit. Eyewitnesses reported officers shouting warnings about a possible explosive device as they secured the area.
Worshippers who had gathered for the holy day were initially kept inside the synagogue while security teams worked to make the surroundings safe. Police later confirmed that all those inside had been safely evacuated.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, cutting short his visit to a summit in Denmark, said he would chair an emergency meeting in response to the incident. He described the attack as “all the more horrific” because it happened on Yom Kippur, and announced additional police presence at synagogues across the UK.
Speaking to reporters before returning to the UK, Starmer said, “The attack in Manchester this morning is absolutely shocking, and all of our thoughts are with those affected. I am on my way back to London. When I arrive, I will chair an emergency Cobra meeting. I’m already able to say that additional police assets are being deployed to synagogues across the country, and we will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe.”
The King also issued a statement saying he and Queen Camilla were “deeply shocked and saddened” by the attack in Manchester.