Two dead in attack at UK synagogue on Yom Kippur, suspect shot dead

By Phil Noble

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) -Two people were killed on Thursday when a man drove a car into pedestrians and stabbed a security guard in an attack at a synagogue in England where worshippers were marking Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, British police said.

Greater Manchester Police said the suspect, who was wearing a vest that appeared to be an explosive device, was shot dead after officers rushed to the scene at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Crumpsall district of the city in northern England.

A video shared on social media and verified by Reuters showed police shooting a man inside the synagogue’s perimeter, while another man lay on the floor in a pool of blood, appearing to wear a traditional Jewish head covering.

'HE HAS A BOMB!'

"He has a bomb, go away!" an armed police officer shouted to onlookers, just seconds before a gunshot rang out.

Neighbour Angela Crawshaw told Reuters she had seen three policemen aiming guns at a man in the car park of the synagogue, telling him: "Stay down, don't move or we'll shoot."

"Then they did shoot, and he fell to the floor. Then he tried getting up again and moving again, and they shot him again. And then it was just panic ... just noise and panic."

A bomb disposal unit was later called to the scene, and a Reuters witness heard three small explosions. Police confirmed that one loud bang was specialist officers gaining entry to the suspect's vehicle as a precaution.

Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer, Laurence Taylor, said the attack had been declared a terrorist incident based on what investigators knew, and that two people had been arrested.

He said investigators believed they knew the identity of the attacker but were not able to confirm it yet.

"Communities across the UK who would normally be marking this holy day are now grieving, and worried about their safety," he told reporters. "I want to be clear: UK policing is mobilising. And mobilising fast."

Prime Minister Keir Starmer rushed away early from a European political gathering in Copenhagen to return to Britain to chair an emergency meeting. He said additional police were being deployed to synagogues across the country, adding: "We will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe."

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

THREE OTHERS IN SERIOUS CONDITION

As well as the suspect and two members of the public who were confirmed dead, three other people were in a serious condition.

After the attack, police were seen ushering a large group of mostly Jewish elderly men - some in tears, many looking shocked - away from the synagogue. Some were wearing white robes, others were in suits and wearing a skullcap.

Crawshaw said she saw about 30 people being taken out, including three young children.

"There were a large number of worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack, but thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and the worshippers inside, as well as the fast response of police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access," said Stephen Watson, GMP's Chief Constable.

King Charles said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" while the Israeli embassy in London said on X the attack was "abhorrent and deeply distressing", and that it was in close contact with the Manchester Jewish community.

SUSPECT WAS 'STABBING ANYONE NEAR HIM'

Another neighbour by the synagogue, Chava Lewin, said she had been told that the car had been driving erratically before crashing into the gates of the building.

"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," she told British media.

Yom Kippur is the most sacred day on the Jewish calendar when even many non-regular synagogue-goers take time to pray and all road traffic stops in Israel.

Britain reported its second worst year in modern times for antisemitism in 2024 with more than 3,500 incidents being recorded, reflecting sustained levels of hatred towards Jews, the Community Security Trust, which provides security to Jewish organisations across Britain, said earlier this year.

Levels of antisemitism rose to record levels in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel and Israel's subsequent war in Gaza that has widely demolished the small Palestinian enclave.

Attacks on Jews and Jewish targets have risen worldwide since the Gaza conflict erupted, including in France and Germany where incidents have surged. French President Emmanuel Macron said on X that France stood beside Britain's Jewish community.

Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Britain has suffered a number of Islamist militant attacks, with the worst being the July 2005 suicide bombings in the London transport network which killed 52 people.

More recently, a 2017 suicide bomb attack at the end of an Ariana Grande pop concert in Manchester killed 22 people and injured hundreds. British police and security services say 43 late-stage attack plots have been thwarted since March 2017.

British police have in recent years also warned about the threat from organised far-right terrorism.

(Reporting by Catarina Demony, Muvija M, Phil Noble, Andrew MacAskill, Sarah Young and Sam Tabahriti; writing by Kate Holton and Michael Holden; editing by Mark Heinrich)