At least two killed in stabbing and car ramming attack on Yom Kippur at synagogue in Manchester, UK police say

By Peter Wilkinson and Sana Noor Haq, CNN

(CNN) — At least two people were killed in a car ramming and stabbing attack outside a synagogue in Manchester, northern England, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Three other people are in a serious condition after the incident in Crumpsall, north of the city, in which a car was driven at members of the public and a man was stabbed. The suspected attacker is believed to be dead after being shot by armed officers, according to police in Manchester.

“Police were called to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, on Middleton Road, Crumpsall, at 9.31am by a member of the public, stating he had witnessed a car being driven towards members of the public, and one man had been stabbed,” the force said in a statement.

Paramedics arrived shortly after, police added. Worshipers who were inside the synagogue at the time of the attack have been evacuated.

Yom Kippur is a time when synagogues are usually particularly busy. Faith leaders hold religious services throughout the day for practicing Jews to pray introspectively, either asking for forgiveness or expressing regret of sins committed in the past year.

Greater Manchester Police declared PLATO – a national code word used when police deploy armed officers across the force to the scene of an attack, CNN understands.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced “additional police assets” will be deployed at synagogues across the country, according to PA Media news agency.

Four hospitals in the local area are “on lockdown,” following the attack, according to local outlet, Manchester Evening News.

“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” the prime minister said in a post on X. “My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected.”

Starmer will fly back to the UK early from a security meeting of European leaders in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, to chair a meeting led by the UK government’s Cobra committee – a cross-departmental group convened in situations of national emergency – PA Media news agency reported.

Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham urged members of the public to avoid the area, after the “serious incident.”

“Obviously what we would all want to recognize is how people in our Jewish community will be feeling right now,” he told BBC Radio Manchester.

“I can only imagine how people are feeling when they hear this news, the fear that that will bring,” added Burnham.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire
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