Oct. 2 (UPI) — A vehicle and stabbing attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday — the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur — left two victims dead, British police said.
The attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue also injured three victims who were in serious condition, the Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.
Armed police shot the suspected attacker, whom officials believe to be dead. They have yet to confirm the man’s death “due to safety issues [surrounding] suspicious items on his person,” GMP said.
Members of a bomb disposal unit were on the scene to investigate, and police advised the public to stay away from the area. They also held members of the congregation inside the synagogue temporarily while making the area safe and safely released them later.
A GMP spokesperson said police were in contact with all synagogues in the greater Manchester area “to provide reassurance.”
“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,” the spokesperson said.
“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.”
The Israeli Embassy in London condemned the attack, calling it “abhorrent and deeply distressing” in a statement on X.
“The safety and security of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom must be guaranteed,” the statement added.
Britain’s King Charles III offered his thoughts and prayers in the wake of the attack and thanked the work of emergency officials.
“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,” he said.
Jewish communities in Britain were on heightened alert Thursday, with London’s Metropolitan Police increasing patrols new Jewish cultural sites, an unnamed source told The Guardian.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said additional police were being deployed to synagogues throughout the country.
“We will do everything we can to keep our Jewish community safe,” he said.
Starmer planned to fly back to Britain early from a summit he was leading in Denmark, the BBC reported.
