MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM – A horrific car-ramming and stabbing attack outside a packed synagogue in Manchester has claimed the lives of two people and left three others severely wounded as the Jewish community observed the solemn holiday of Yom Kippur. The suspect was reportedly shot dead by UK police at the scene.
The incident unfolded on Thursday morning outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Crumpsall neighbourhood of the northwestern city. Police were immediately mobilised, triggering a national counter-terrorism response protocol amid the profound sensitivity of the timing.
The attack strikes just days ahead of the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, raids on Israel, an event that sparked a fierce and ongoing offensive in Gaza and has inflamed social and political tensions across Britain.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer swiftly condemned the assault as “horrific,” announcing that security measures would be immediately boosted at synagogues across the United Kingdom. Recognising the gravity of the situation, Starmer cut short his attendance at a European political summit in Denmark to return to London to chair an emergency security meeting.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla expressed their deep shock and sorrow, stating they were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”
Greater Manchester Police declared a “major incident” shortly after 9:30 am (0830 GMT) after officers responded to initial calls reporting a car driving into people outside the synagogue, alongside reports of a security guard being attacked with a knife.
The force initially confirmed that firearms officers had shot one man “believed to be the offender” and paramedics were treating four people for “injuries caused by both the vehicle and stab wounds.” Within hours, authorities tragically announced that two people had died. Police added that the suspected offender shot by officers was “also believed to be deceased,” though his death could not be confirmed immediately due to “suspicious items on his person,” necessitating the deployment of a bomb disposal unit. Three people remain in a “serious condition.”
Starmer expressed his deep distress, vowing to “do everything to keep our Jewish community safe.” He emphasised the emotional impact of the timing, adding, “The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.”
The Israeli embassy in the UK described the act as “abhorrent and deeply distressing” that “such an act of violence should be perpetrated on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.” In a post on X, the embassy stressed that “The safety and security of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom must be guaranteed.”
A witness recounted the dramatic scene to BBC Radio, describing police shooting a man following the car crash. “They give him a couple of warnings, he didn’t listen until they opened fire,” he said. “He went down on the floor, and then he started getting back up, and then they shot him again.”
Police confirmed that “a large number of people worshipping at the synagogue… were held inside while the immediate area was made safe” before being safely evacuated.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham praised the swift police response, telling the BBC that officers had “dealt with it very quickly with some amazing support from members of the public.” He cautioned citizens to “not to speculate on social media,” while acknowledging that the Jewish community “will be very worried by the news.”
Known globally for its Premier League football clubs and industrial heritage, Manchester is home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the UK, totalling more than 28,000 people in 2021, according to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research. Local MP Graham Stringer noted the area’s diverse makeup of both large Jewish and Muslim communities, stressing that “By and large, community relations are excellent.”
The Community Security Trust (CST), a Jewish charity dedicated to monitoring antisemitic incidents, confirmed it was “working with police and the local Jewish community,” calling the event “an appalling attack on the holiest day of the Jewish year.”
The city remains scarred by past terror, notably the 2017 attack where a suicide bomb outside the Manchester Arena killed 22 people and injured hundreds more.
