Two killed in Yom Kippur attack on Manchester synagogue

Two people were killed on Thursday in a terrorist attack at an Orthodox synagogue in Manchester, England.

The terrorist rammed his car into worshippers outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation on Middleton Road before exiting the vehicle and stabbing others on Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day. The attack took place at around 9:30 a.m. local time.

Three additional people were seriously wounded.

Greater Manchester Police declared “Operation Plato,” the national protocol for responding to a “marauding terror attack.”

Video circulating online shows two armed police officers shouting at the suspect as he lay on the ground outside the shul after being shot. The officers are then heard warning bystanders to leave the area, saying the attacker “has a bomb.”

Police later confirmed that the terrorist had been killed, although it remains unclear whether he was carrying an explosive device. Authorities said there was no ongoing risk to the public.

Assistant Commissioner for counter-terrorism Laurence Taylor said on Thursday that police believe they know the identity of the terrorist. He confirmed that two additional suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the development “absolutely shocking.” He cut short a trip to Denmark to convene an emergency COBRA meeting, a ministerial-level committee assembled in response to a crisis, saying additional police assets were being deployed to synagogues across the country.

“We will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe,” Starmer said.

The British prime minister recognized a Palestinian state in September, a move that Jerusalem condemned as rewarding terrorism in the aftermath of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch on Thursday expressed shock over “Jews murdered simply for being Jews. That should not be the U.K. of 2025. But it is.

“On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, Jews take time for introspection. To ask themselves—where have we gone wrong in the past, and what do we need to do to be better in the future. These are questions we urgently need to ask ourselves as a nation,” Badenoch continued. “Today’s murders raise new questions. And they will require new answers.”

King Charles said he was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the synagogue attack, “especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”

The Israeli embassy called the killings “abhorrent and deeply distressing,” adding that its officials were in close contact with the Manchester Jewish community, British authorities and the Community Security Trust to monitor developments and ensure support was provided.

“We thank the Greater Manchester Police for their swift response. The safety and security of Jewish communities in the United Kingdom must be guaranteed,” the embassy statement continued. “The thoughts and prayers of the people of Israel are with the victims, their families and the entire Jewish community at this difficult time.”