Two people have died and attacker also shot in synagogue attack, police confirm
Two people have died after a suspected terror attack outside a synagogue in Crumpsall by a man who was shot dead by police, Greater Manchester Police said.
The man believed to be the attacker was shot by Greater Manchester Police firearms officers and is also believed to be dead.
However, police said it cannot currently be confirmed due to safety issues related to “suspicious items on his person”. The bomb disposal unit has been called and is at the scene.
Three other people remain in a serious condition, police said in a statement.
Key events
Caroline Davies
Yom Kippur, or the ‘Day of Atonement’, is the most sacred and solemn day in the Jewish calendar.
Many Jews attend the synagogue where they pray throughout the day. The day’s main observances consist of full fasting, asceticism and extended prayer services.
It is one of the two High Holy Days, or Days of Awe, alongside Rosh Hashanah, which falls nine days previously.
It is a day about people repenting, putting things right with God through prayer and sacrifice. Yom Kippur is a day to reflect on the past year and ask God’s forgiveness for any sins.
Prime minister Keir Starmer said of today’s attack: “The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.”
NHS Greater Manchester is advising people to only attend accident and emergency (A&E) departments if it is “urgent or life-threatening”.
A spokesperson for NHS Greater Manchester said:
We are aware of the incident currently unfolding in Crumpsall and are actively supporting the multi-agency response led by Greater Manchester Police and other emergency services.
Our priority is to ensure the safety and care of patients and staff across the region, and we are working closely with partners to manage any impact on local hospitals and emergency departments.
We urge the public to only attend accident and emergency (A&E) departments if your condition is urgent or life-threatening. This will help us prioritise care for those most in need and ensure emergency teams can respond effectively to this incident.
If you are unsure about which service to use, please contact NHS 111 online or by phone for guidance.
Here are some more pictures from the scene this morning:
Afzal Khan, Labour MP for Manchester Rusholme, said on X:
Horrifying news out of Crumpsall this morning following a major incident. I want to thank the police for swift action.
Praying for the whole community on this holy day.
Violence is never the answer and Manchester must stand together against these actions.
A number of hospitals in Greater Manchester were placed in “lockdown” following the incident at the synagogue in Crumpsall, it has been reported.
An internal note shared by the Northern Care Alliance (NCA) NHS Foundation Trust and seen by the Manchester Evening News (MEN) said all of its sites “have been asked to immediately lock down” following the declaration of a major incident.
“We have been informed that emergency services are at the scene of an incident within Manchester. We will share further details as these become available,” the note added.
NCA hospitals include Salford Royal, Fairfield General, Rochdale Infirmary and the Royal Oldham.
However, the MEN reported at 12.40pm that the lockdown has since been lifted.
Images are now starting to emerge of members of north Manchester’s Jewish community gathering outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Middleton Road, Crumpsall.
Rabbi Jonathan Romain, emeritus rabbi of Maidenhead Synagogue, told the PA news agency he felt “appalled” by the attack in Manchester.
He said:
This is every Rabbi’s or every Jewish person’s worst nightmare.
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.
He said it appears tensions over the war in Gaza had “spilled over” to the UK, despite efforts to stop that happening.
He told PA:
The real tragedy is, of course that the war in Gaza, which is tragic in itself, has sort of spilled over into the United Kingdom.
For the last two years, we were desperately trying to make sure that whatever was going on in the Middle East was not imported here. This has shown that our worst fears have been realised.
This will obviously heighten the fears that many Jews have had, that political violence would spill over into religious hatred.
Counter-terror police are searching houses on White House Avenue, near to the synagogue in Crumpsall, the Manchester Evening News (MEN) has reported.
Meanwhile, witnesses are said to have seen a car driving erratically before a man got out and started attacking people with a knife. When it became clear what was happening, members of the congregation are said to have blockaded the doors to the synagogue.
Members of the community are handing out blankets to a number of people who rushed to the scene when they heard what was happening. As more details have emerged, many said they are too upset to speak.
Chava Lewin – who describes herself as a religious Jew and lives next door to the synagogue – told the MEN:
I was outside and heard a banging sound and I thought it might be a firework. My husband went outside and then ran back inside and said, ‘there’s been a terrorist attack.’
I spoke to someone who said she was driving and saw a car driving erratically and it crashed into the gates [of the synagogue].
She thought maybe he had a heart attack. 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. He was in the courtyard.
Someone barricaded the door. Everyone is in utter shock.
UK’s terrorism threat level under review following synagogue attack
Vikram Dodd
The UK’s terrorism threat level is being reviewed in the aftermath of the suspected terrorist attack in Manchester.
The current threat level is substantial, the third highest of five levels. The threat level is set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC).
A source said JTAC would be waiting for emerging details of the fatal attack, such as whether the suspect acted alone, was directed, and how the attacker was radicalised.
Here is a photo of the bomb disposal robot arriving at the scene, as members of the armed forces seek to establish whether the attacker has a “viable” device on their person.
Police have issued a statement aimed at reassuring Greater Manchester’s Jewish community, while urging people not to share images or videos on social media.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said:
We know today’s horrifying attack, on the Jewish community’s holiest day, will have caused significant shock and fear throughout all of our communities.
We are grateful to the member of the public whose quick response to what they witnessed allowed our swift action, and as a result the offender was prevented from entering the synagogue.
We remain in direct contact with all synagogues across Greater Manchester to provide reassurance and this will continue for as long as needed.
We will continue to provide updates as we can, but I would ask anyone who believes they may have a loved one involved in today’s incident, please use the Casualty Bureau information in the first instance.
I would further ask anyone who may have images or footage relating to today’s incident, refrains from circulating them on social media – please do share directly with GMP through www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk.”
Chris Osuh
The body of the suspect remains at the scene as police try and establish whether he was wearing a viable explosive device, it is understood.
While officers believe the attack was executed alone – using a car, knife or machete, and potentially a bomb – one line of inquiry will explore whether the suspect was helped in the planning.
The attack, taking place at Yom Kippur and timed as members of the community were on their way in to morning worship, does not appear to be random to investigators.
The heightened sense of threat in the area, approaching the 7 October anniversary, and the close collaboration between the community, security organisations and the police, meant firearms officers were on the scene within minutes.
The Israeli embassy condemned the incident in Greater Manchester, describing it as “abhorrent and deeply distressing”.
A statement released by the embassy said:
The embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom condemn the attack carried out today on Yom Kippur at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester.
That such an act of violence should be perpetrated on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, in a place of prayer and community, is abhorrent and deeply distressing.
The embassy is in close contact with Manchester Jewish community, British authorities and the Community Security Trust (CST) to monitor developments, and ensure that the necessary support is provided.
We thank the Greater Manchester Police for their swift response. The safety and security of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom must be guaranteed.
The thoughts and prayers of the people of Israel are with the victims, their families and the entire Jewish community at this difficult time.
King Charles said he and the Queen were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community”.
He said:
My wife and I have been deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services.
Police also confirmed that a large number of people worshipping at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue at the time of the incident were held inside “while the immediate area was made safe but have since been evacuated”.
The attacker did not make it inside the building.
