Manchester: 2 killed in synagogue car, knife attack

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said two victims have died of their injuries following a car and knife attack outside a synagogue in the north of the city on Thursday. 

The attacker was shot by armed police and was later confirmed to be dead after bomb disposal experts checked for possible explosives on his person. 

"Greater Manchester Police can confirm two people have died following the major incident outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, Middleton Road, Crumpsall," GMP said in a statement online. 

"We can confirm three people have died, including the offender, who was shot by GMP Firearms officers," police said in a later statement.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, King Charles III and other political leaders all voiced outrage and sadness at the attack during the Jewish religious holiday Yom Kippur.

What happened during the Manchester synagogue attack?

Police said on Thursday that they were responding to an incident outside a synagogue on Middleton Road in Manchester, after a member of the public reported a car being driven toward civilians and a stabbing.

Police had declared a major incident at 9:37 a.m. local time (0837 GMT/UTC) outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall in the north of the city, and said that officers fired shots one minute later. 

GMP said paramedics were at the scene and that four members of the public had been injured, with both injuries caused "by the vehicle and stab wounds."

"Our crews treated patients at the scene and transported four patients with serious injuries to hospital. Our resources remain on scene to support the ongoing response to the incident," North West Ambulance Services said in a statement.

Police said they issued verbal warnings and fired warning shots, which the suspect did not heed, before shooting and disabling him.

Authorities declare incident a terrorist attack, 2 others arrested

"The attacker has been shot dead by the police. We believe we know their identity, but for safety reasons at the scene, we are unable to confirm at this stage," Assistant Commissioner

Laurence Taylor, head of specialist operations for the Metropolitan Police, said at a press conference on Thursday. "Three other members of the public are in a serious condition." 

Taylor said police had also made two other arrests and that "based on what we know," counterterrorism police had declared the attack a terrorist incident. 

"Police forces are stepping up controls across the country: at synagogues, at Jewish sites, and more widely to provide reassurance to all those communities who've been affected by this incident," Taylor said. "We will ensure every piece of intelligence and line of inquiry is investigated."

Starmer 'appalled,' mayor urges people to avoid area

Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told local BBC radio that it appeared to be a major event but also that "the immediate danger appears to be over."

Like the police, Burnham advised people to avoid the area as the emergency services respond.

The attack coincides with the Yom Kippur religious holiday.

"I'm appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall," UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote online. "The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific."

Starmer said he was leaving a European summit in Denmark early to fly back to the UK to chair a so-called "COBRA" (Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms) meeting of committees coordinating the government response to national crises.

"I'm already able to say that additional police assets are being deployed to synagogues across the country and we will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe," Starmer said in Copenhagen before boarding his plane.

King Charles III said in a statement that he was "deeply shocked and saddened" by the attack, "especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community."

Manchester is home to roughly 30,000 Jewish people, making it the UK's second-largest Jewish community after London.