Two people have died following a vehicle ramming and stabbing attack outside a synagogue in north Manchester on Thursday morning, police confirmed. A third person, believed to be the suspected attacker who was shot by officers at the scene, is also thought to have died.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who cut short a trip to Denmark to chair an emergency COBRA meeting, condemned the attack as “horrific.”
The incident occurred shortly after 9.30 am at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Crumpsall during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said a man drove a car into pedestrians before stabbing a victim, prompting armed officers to respond within minutes and fatally shoot the suspect.
Police have not yet released details of the victims or the attacker. In an updated statement, GMP said they could not confirm the suspect’s death due to “safety issues surrounding suspicious items on his person.” A bomb disposal unit was deployed to the scene.
The North West Ambulance Service declared a major incident, dispatching extra crews with paramedics seen wearing protective armour and helmets. Four people were initially reported injured before the fatalities were confirmed.
