At least two people are dead and several more injured after a violent car-ramming and stabbing attack outside a synagogue in Manchester, U.K., on Thursday. Police say the suspected attacker was also shot by officers and is believed to be dead.
The incident unfolded outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in the northern suburb of Prestwich during Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism. Authorities are treating the violence as a suspected act of terror.
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What we know so far
In a statement obtained by ABC News, authorities said the alleged suspect’s death could not “be confirmed due to safety issues” including “suspicious items” on the individual. A bomb squad team had been dispatched to the scene.
A number of others were also hurt, including three people reportedly listed in “serious condition.”
Authorities said people were injured in both the car attack and subsequent stabbings.
Response from UK leaders
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was appalled by the attack in a social media post.
“My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders,” Starmer said. “The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.”
Starmer announced police reinforcements were being sent to synagogues across the country as a result of the act of violence. He vowed to “do everything to keep our Jewish community safe.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan echoed the condemnation, saying he is “horrified by the violent attack.”
No confirmed motive, but rising concerns
Authorities have not yet determined a motive. However, the attack comes amid a rise in global antisemitism and follows a deadly shooting outside a Washington, D.C. museum earlier this year, where the attacker targeted Israeli Embassy staff and shouted “Free, free Palestine” upon arrest.
Thursday’s attack has intensified concerns about religiously motivated violence in the U.K. and beyond.
