2 killed, 3 seriously injured in car ramming, stabbing ‘terror incident‘ at synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur; suspect shot dead
Police officers talk to members of Jewish community at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall Photograph: (AFP)
The vehicle ramming and mass stabbing in Manchester took place at the Heaton Park synagogue in Crumpsall on Yom Kippur—the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar. Jewish people fast for 25 hours on Yom Kippur and attend synagogues.
Two people were killed while three other members of the public were in a serious condition after a suspect drove his vehicle into a gathering of people at a synagogue in Manchester and started stabbing, police have said. The suspect was reportedly shot by armed police after the attack at the Heaton Park synagogue in Crumpsall. Greater Manchester Police confirmed the incident happened outside Heaton Park synagogue, on Middleton Road and the suspect did not gain access to the building and was shot at the scene by armed police. Greater Manchester Police said two people have died while three other members of the public were in a serious condition. Police officials said that the suspect who was shot is also dead. The bomb disposal unit was called due to the presence of some suspicious items on his person. Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, said the incident at the Synagogue was “serious” but the “immediate danger appears to be over”.
The mayor told people “to avoid the area”. “It is a serious incident, I have to say. It is in the area you mentioned. And I would say to people listening, firstly, to avoid the area because it is a serious incident,” he told BBC. “But at the same time I can give some reassurance immediately to people that the immediate danger appears to be over. And Greater Manchester Police have dealt with it very quickly. And there’s been amazing support from members of the public and security at the location.”
Manchester Police said they declared “Plato” within moments of hearing about the incident. Operation Plato is a set of responses by the emergency services to large-scale incidents, including "terrorist attacks". When police declare Operation Plato, the other emergency services, like the ambulance service, have protocols that they follow.
“I have been told is police were called to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Middleton Road, Crumpsall, at 9.31 am by a member of the public stating he had witnessed a car being driven towards the public, and one man being stabbed,” the mayor said.
A North West Ambulance Service spokesman said, “We are currently assessing the situation and working with other members of the emergency services. “Our priority is to ensure people receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible.”
The mass stabbing in Manchester took place on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar. Jewish people fast for 25 hours on Yom Kippur and attend synagogues. It marks the culmination of the Ten Days of Repentance, which began with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), and is observed with a 25-hour fast in which Jews abstain from all food and drink. During Yom Kippur, Jews take part in extended prayer services, typically in a synagogue, to reflect on the past year, repent (teshuvah) and undertake a spiritual reset.
The sacred and solemn day is marked by prayers throughout the day and concludes with the sounding of the ram’s horn before the fast is broken at nightfall.
PM Starmer ‘appalled’ by attack on holiest day of Jewish calendar
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall. “The fact that thishas taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” he said, adding, “My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders."
As per reports, Starmer is flying back early from the European Political Community gathering in Copenhagen after the attack. He will chair a meeting of the government’s emergency COBR committee in London.
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Attack being treated as potential terrorist incident: Sources
Meanwhile, the counter-terrorism police and MI5, the security service covering the UK, have joined the investigations. Since the Greater Manchester Police declared Operation Plato, the violence is being treated as a potential marauding terrorist attack and investigations are underway about the attacker and his motive, if any.
Violence against Jewish people on the rise, says local MP
Graham Stringer, local Labour MP for Blackley and Middleton South, called the attack “absolutely appalling” and said he had noticed Jewish constituents feeling less safe in recent years. “Yes, the Community Security Trust who are the Jewish security operatives have been reporting, really since the start of the Gaza war, an increase in violence against Jewish people of about 400 per cent.”
Earlier, firearms officers were deployed at 9.34 am as police continued to receive further reports from members of the public that a security guard had been attacked with a knife, he added.
“Shots were fired by Greater Manchester Police firearms officers at 9.38 am. One man has been shot, and that is believed to be the offender. Paramedics are on the scene, arriving at 9.41am and tending to members of the public. Currently four members of the public with injuries caused by the vehicle and stab wounds,” said Burnham.
He added: “There is a degree of reassurance that can be given here that it has been dealt with, it sounds as though very effectively, quickly, by Greater Manchester Police.”
