Two killed and three seriously injured in car and knife attack at Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur

Two people were killed and three others were seriously wounded in an apparent car and knife attack outside a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday, according to authorities.

Units first responded to calls about a vehicle being driven at pedestrians, Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.

"Police were called to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, on Middleton Road, Crumpsall, at 9:31 am (10:31 am CEST) by a member of the public, stating he had witnessed a car being driven towards members of the public, and one man had been stabbed," the statement said.

Authorities first reported four people were injured "by both the vehicle and stab wounds," but the number of victims was later amended.

The police said the suspect was shot before he managed to gain access to the building. He was also confirmed dead after bomb experts were called in to investigate whether the attacker also had an explosive device on his body.

Chava Lewin, who lives next to the synagogue, said she heard a bang and thought it might be fireworks until her husband ran inside their house and said there had been a “terrorist attack”.

A witness told her that she saw a car driving erratically crash into the gates of the house of worship.

“She thought maybe he had a heart attack,” Lewin said. “The second he got out of the car he started stabbing anyone near him. He went for the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue.”

Minutes later, shots were fired by firearms officers, police said.

“One man has been shot, believed to be the offender,” it added.

Starmer: Attack on Yom Kippur 'horrific'

The authorities have declared Operation Plato, which is a set of emergency responses to "marauding terrorist attacks". However, the attack has not been designated as an act of terror yet.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told the BBC that this was a "serious incident" that was dealt with "effectively" by the police and people on site.

The police also lauded the bravery of the congregation and the "swift and brave response from officers" in preventing the attacker from entering the temple and potentially hurting more people inside.

The attack happened as the Jewish community marked Yom Kippur, with many of the faithful gathering at synagogues in what is a solemn day of fasting and reflection.

"I’m appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall," UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement on Thursday.

"The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific," he added.

Starmer was attending the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen, but is now set to return home early. He has called for an emergency government meeting over the Manchester attack, according to reports.

"Extra police assets" will be deployed at synagogues across the UK, Starmer said before returning from Copenhagen. "We will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe."

Rabbi Jonathan Romain, of Maidenhead Synagogue and head of the Rabbinic Court of Great Britain, said the incident would raise fears among Jews that political violence could turn to religious hatred.

“This is every rabbi’s or every Jewish person’s worst nightmare," he said.

“Not only is this a sacred day, the most sacred in the Jewish calendar, but it’s also a time of mass gathering, and the time when the Jewish community, however religious or irreligious, gathers together.”

Antisemitic incidents in the UK have significantly increased following the Hamas-led 7 October attack on southern Israel and Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, according to Community Security Trust, an advocacy group for British Jews that works to eliminate antisemitism.

More than 1,500 incidents were reported in the first half of the year, the second-highest reported after the record set in 2024.