Manchester synagogue attack: Here's what we know so far

At least two people were killed and three were reported seriously injured after a stabbing attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday (October 2). The attack came on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar, and is being treated by police as a terror incident.

How did the attack happen?

Police said a car was driving towards members of the public and a man was stabbed at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue at 09:31 BST on Thursday. Shah, a local resident, said she was driving past the synagogue when she saw a vehicle "just sort of rushing past and driving straight for the members of the public".

She then saw a man "jump out" and start running towards the people, she said, calling the scene "traumatising" .

UK Police arrest 2 people after 'terrorist' attack

Two people have been arrested after a "terrorist" attack outside a synagogue in Manchester. The attack, which left two dead and three seriously wounded, had been declared a "terrorist incident", added Laurence Taylor, assistant commissioner in counterterrorism policing at London's Metropolitan Police force.

'Get back, he has A BOMB'

Amid the investigation, a video of a police officer outside the crime scene was circulated showing the officer with a gun in front of the suspect.

"Everybody else, get back. If you're not involved, move back, get away... he has a bomb, go away," an officer can be heard shouting.

‘The guy had a knife and he was...’

One of the eyewitnesses shared the horrific details of the attack. One of the witnesses, who was driving at the crime location, said he initially assumed that it was a minor collision until he saw a man "bleeding out on the floor".

He then describes seeing another person, a man, who he says had a knife and was "stabbing the window" of a nearby building, trying to get in. "Within seconds, the police arrived, they gave him a couple of warnings, he didn’t listen so they opened fire," the witness told the BBC, saying the man holding the knife then went down on the floor.

Armed police reportedly shot the suspect 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 believed to be dead, but the condition cannot be confirmed due to the presence of some “suspicious items on his person”. The bomb disposal unit was called and has arrived at the crime scene.

Device worn by suspected attacker 'wasn’t viable'

Police told CNN that a device worn by the suspected attacker during today’s deadly synagogue incident in Manchester, northern England, “wasn’t viable.”

“We can confirm that the device wasn’t viable,” Greater Manchester Police told CNN, adding that they couldn’t provide any further updates about the device at present.

Police in Scotland ask public to remain alert but not alarmed

Police in Scotland said they are in touch with community leaders after today’s synagogue attack in Manchester, northern England, and asked the public to “remain alert but not alarmed.”