Two dead and terrorist shot in Yom Kippur stabbing attack at Manchester synagogue

Terror attack declared as killer is identified as Jihad Al Shamie

Armed police at the scene of at the attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, in Manchester. PA

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave a guarantee of protection to Jewish people on Thursday after two people died when a car rammed worshippers and a man was stabbed in a terrorist attack at a synagogue in Manchester.

Two men were killed in the terrorist attack outside the Heaton Park synagogue, Greater Manchester Police have said.

Three men remain in hospital with serious injuries after the attack. One suffered a stab wound and a second was struck by the car involved in the attack. A third man later arrived at hospital.

How the Manchester synagogue security response played out

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The perpetrator was named as Jihad Al Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent.

Police said a “vest which had the appearance of an explosive device” worn by the attacker in the Manchester synagogue terror attack was non-functional.

Three suspects – two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s – were in custody and "have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism".

Solidarity

Speaking from Downing Street after a Cobra emergency committee meeting, Mr Starmer expressed solidarity and sadness with the Jewish community.

"I promise you that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve, starting with a more visible police presence, protecting your community," he said.

Security has been increased at synagogues around the UK after the incident, which happened on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.

Police "declared Plato", the national code word used by emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack”, after a man began the car and knife attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the "barbaric attack" at the synagogue at a time when Jewish worshippers were gathering in large numbers to solemnly reflect on the year.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the spread of anti-Israeli incitement in the UK and blamed Mr Starmer's government. "The authorities in Britain have failed to take the necessary action to curb this toxic wave of anti-Semitism and have effectively allowed it to persist," Mr Saar said, adding that Israel expected "more than words from the Starmer government".

King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community”.

Deadly assault

The incident began when a black Kia car was driven into a member of the synagogue's security staff, who was standing at the gates outside. Witnesses described a man dressed in black leaving the car and "stabbing anyone near him", including the security guard. The door to the synagogue was barricaded as the man entered the courtyard.

Emergency services were called at 9.31am and officers opened fire, hitting the attacker.

He was later confirmed dead. A bomb disposal unit had been sent to the scene because the attacker appeared to be wearing a suicide vest.

The attack has shaken the community, with security increased across the UK. Reuters

Police then cordoned off part of a street nearly 500 metres from the synagogue and arrested two men.

Members of the congregation were still inside the synagogue hours after the attack. Police officers dressed in black combat fatigues and carrying machineguns guarded the area outside.

Stephen Watson, chief constable of zthe Greater Manchester Police, said “very visible and proactive policing activity is ongoing across Greater Manchester and beyond”.

“What I can say is that the highly visible response to these dreadful incidents will be sustained as we work to understand the full circumstances of what has happened.”

Speaking outside New Scotland Yard, the counter-terrorism policing assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor said: “This morning, an appalling attack took place in Crumpsall in Manchester. Two people have died. The attacker has been shot dead by the police.

“We believe we know their identity, but for safety reasons at the scene we’re unable to confirm at this stage. Three other members of the public are in a serious condition. We have also made two further arrests, and based on what we know, counter-terrorism policing has declared this as a terrorist incident.”

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham praised the "speed with which this was dealt with" and the police's arrival at the scene "within minutes". Security staff at the synagogue had "really done an amazing thing", Mr Burnham added.

Members of the Jewish community gather outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester, after the attack. AFP

Community safety fears

There are fears the attack could increase community tension as anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hate incidents grow across the country. The incident was described as an “appalling attack" by the Community Security Trust, which monitors anti-Semitism in the UK. The trust said it was "working with police and the local Jewish community" after the attack.

The trust recorded 1,521 anti-Semitic incidents across the UK in the first half of this year, the second-highest total reported to CST in the first six months of any year. It praised police and synagogue security "who responded immediately to deal with the incident".

Graham Stringer, Labour MP for Blackley and Middleton South, said evil people must not damage community relations in the city.

“The area is a very large Jewish community next to a very large Muslim community, and by and large community relations are excellent between all the different ethnic groups and religious groups," he said. "But there are always extreme people who want to damage those relationships and want to, in this case, damage Jews and the Jewish community.”

Chief Imam Allama Qamaruzzaman Azmi, of the neighbouring Anwaarul Haramain Jame Masjid, said his congregation "stands in solidarity with our Jewish neighbours and community" and called on people to "come together".

"For generations, the Muslim and Jewish communities of Manchester have lived side by side in peace, mutual respect and friendship. We remain committed to nurturing that bond and strengthening it in the face of any attempt to sow division," he said. "Acts of violence have no place in our city, in our faiths, or in our shared future. We must all uphold the sanctity of every human life."

Fiyaz Mughal, founder of Tell Mama, which records anti-Muslim incidents in the UK, told The National: "There is no justification for anti-Semitic attacks against British Jews and this seems to have been a targeted assault and attack against Jews in our society. We must all step up and remain vigilant against attacks on synagogues and religious sites."

Police and emergency services outside the synagogue in Manchester. Reuters

Tell Mama's latest figures documented 913 cases of anti-Muslim hatred from June to September, with 17 mosques and Islamic institutions attacked in that period, and many Muslims being told to "go back to their country".

A sixth of these cases (157) were reported in the two weeks after the far-right Unite the Kingdom Rally on September 14, Tell Mama announced on Thursday morning, before the attack.

There were four attacks on mosques in the north-west region surrounding Manchester, the highest for any region in the country, the report found.

Thursday's incident has drawn condemnation across Europe and from Israel. French President Emmanuel Macron described the incident as "an anti-Semitic terrorist attack", saying Paris "stood alongside families affected".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she had conveyed her condolences to Mr Starmer in Copenhagen, while the bloc's foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said "hate, anti-Semitism and violence have no place" in European society.