Four people have been injured after a car and stabbing attack at a synagogue in Greater Manchester on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
A man was stabbed and others were injured after the vehicle drove into the crowd at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, on Middleton Road, Crumpsall, around three miles north of Manchester city centre.
The suspect has been shot by armed officers, police said, and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said he is believed to be dead.
Police said it had “declared Plato” – the national code-word used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack”.
Sir Keir Starmer aid he was “absolutely shocked” by the attack in Manchester and vowed to deploy “additional police assets to synagogues across the country”.
Here’s everything we know so far:
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How did the incident unfold?
Greater Manchester Police say officers were called to Heaton Park Synagogue at 9.31am by a member of the public. They stated that they had witnessed a car being driven towards members of the public, and that one man had been stabbed.
Police declared a major incident at 9.37am, and PLATO – a codeword used for a potential “marauding terrorist attack”.
Shots were fired by GMP officers at 9.38am, when one man – believed to be the offender – was shot. Their current condition is unknown but Mr Burnham said he is believed to be dead.
Paramedics arrived on the scene at 9.41am, and began tending to members of the public. Four people were confirmed to have injuries caused by both the vehicle and stab wounds, and are being treated, per the latest police update.
It is understood that a bomb disposal unit its at the scene, and that hospitals and other synagogues in the area have heightened security measures in place.
Armed police officers remain near the synagogue, alongside many paramedics. Family members of those inside have begun to gather outside of the police cordon, awaiting updates.
A Jewish man, among a group of shocked onlookers at the cordon, said his wife and daughter and other members of the congregation were still inside the synagogue.
Is it being treated as terrorism?
Authorities have not confirmed the identity of the attacker or their motive, nor that the incident was a terror attack. At this stage, sources have indicated that it is being treated as a potential terror attack, with counter-terrorism police and MI5 joining the investigation.
The event coincides with the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, which is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
What has been the reaction?
Sir Keir Starmer is flying home early from a meeting of European leaders to chair a Cobra meeting following the attack at a synagogue in Greater Manchester, it is understood. The PM said he was “appalled” at the attack, adding: “The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.”
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “I am horrified by the news of an attack at a synagogue in Manchester today, on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
“My first thoughts are with the victims, our brave police and emergency services.
“I am being kept updated by Greater Manchester Police. I urge people to follow the advice of the emergency services.”
Rabbi Jonathan Romain, emeritus rabbi of Maidenhead Synagogue and current head of the Rabbinic Court of Great Britain, said the attack was “every Jewish person’s worst nightmare”.
He said: “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.”
Where did the attack happen?
The incident unfolded in at Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester. The area is home to a large Jewish community, with many synagogues and community centres in the area.
According to its Facebook page, Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation is a large Ashkenazi Orthodox synagogue, which was formally founded in 1935. Rabbi Daniel Walker currently heads the congregation.
