Two people were killed and three others seriously injured on Thursday in a shocking attack at a synagogue in northern England on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Greater Manchester Police confirmed.
Authorities said the suspect is also believed to have died after being shot by officers. However, officials could not immediately confirm this amid concerns he may have been carrying an explosive device. A bomb disposal team was deployed to the scene as a precaution.
The incident unfolded at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall shortly after 9:30 a.m., when a member of the public reported seeing a car driven towards people outside the synagogue and a man being stabbed. Firearms officers arrived within minutes and opened fire on the suspect.
Police initially reported four people injured from a combination of the vehicle and stabbing, later updating the number of victims to five.
Authorities declared “Plato,” the national emergency code for a “marauding terror attack,” though it does not automatically classify the incident as terrorism.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack as “appalling” and announced that additional police would be deployed to synagogues across the U.K. Starmer cut short his attendance at a European leaders’ summit in Copenhagen to chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee.
“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” Starmer said on X.
Dave Rich, director of the Community Security Trust, a charity monitoring antisemitism in the U.K., said the attack on Yom Kippur was particularly shocking. “It’s a very solemn day, and synagogues across the country are full throughout the day,” he said. Rich also highlighted the ongoing security cooperation between police and Jewish communities during major festivals.
Manchester was also the site of Britain’s deadliest recent attack, the 2017 Ariana Grande concert bombing, which killed 22 people.
