A synagogue in Manchester became the scene of a violent attack on Thursday morning, leaving four people injured during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said they were called at 09:31 BST following reports of a car ramming into members of the public outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall. A man, believed to be a security guard, was also stabbed during the incident.
By 09:37, GMP had declared a major incident, with armed officers deployed to the scene. At 09:38, shots were fired, and the suspect—believed to be responsible for the attack—was shot by police. Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham later confirmed the suspect is believed to be dead.
The North West Ambulance Service declared a major incident and deployed teams immediately. Paramedics treated four victims who sustained injuries from both the vehicle and stabbing. Their conditions have not yet been made public.
Police triggered Operation Plato, the emergency response framework for marauding terrorist-style incidents, though the exact motive behind the attack remains under investigation.
National Reactions
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the attack as “appalling,” stressing its severity given the timing on Yom Kippur. “The fact that this has taken place on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar makes it all the more horrific,” he said. Starmer is set to chair an emergency Cobra meeting in London later today.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch condemned the attack, calling it “vile and disgusting” and an “outrageous attack on the Jewish community.”
Mayor Burnham reassured residents that the “immediate danger appears to be over,” but urged the public to avoid the area while police continue investigations.
This tragic incident has shaken Manchester’s Jewish community and heightened concerns about security at places of worship across the UK.
