The sickening attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue happened as a large number of people marked Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar
Two worshippers have been killed and four others seriously injured after a knifeman wearing what appeared to be a suicide vest went on the rampage at a synagogue. The horror in Manchester has been declared a terrorist incident by police.
The attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue happened as a large number of people marked Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, during which people reflect on the past year and atone for their sins.
Armed police were scrambled to the scene and shot the knifeman dead amid fears he was wearing a vest which looked like an explosive device.
What happened
Police were called at 9.31am to reports a car had been driven at a crowd of people near the synagogue and the driver had then gone on the rampage with a knife.
Witnesses said he “started stabbing anyone near him” and he is said to have attacked the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue.
Hero Rabbi Daniel Walker, seen with bloodstained robes outside the synagogue this morning, barricaded the doors to keep the attacker out of the place of worship.
Police response
Greater Manchester Police said it had ‘declared Plato’, the national code-word used by police and emergency services when responding to a ‘marauding terror attack’.
Armed police were deployed to the scene and shot dead the knifeman. Chilling video shared on social media appears to show armed officers pointing guns at the suspect, who was lying on the ground.
Greater Manchester Police said the suspect was shot dead seven minutes after the first call came in after using the codeword Plato to alert officers that a marauding terror attack was underway.
One officers screams to onlookers: “Everybody else, get back. If you’re not involved, move back, get away… he has a bomb, go away.” The man on the ground is seen starting to get up before there is the sound of a gunshot and he falls to the ground.
A witness, named only as Gareth, told BBC Radio Manchester he saw the armed police officers shoot the suspect twice, once after he tried to get back up off the ground.
He said: “The guy had a knife, and he was just stabbing the window trying to get in. And then within seconds, the police arrived. They give him a couple of warnings, he didn’t listen, so they opened fire. He went down on the floor, and then he started getting back up, and then they shot him again.”
The suspect was shot dead 9.38am by armed police, seven minutes after the first call. Two other people have been arrested in connection with the incident, police said. It comes after armed police reportedly stormed a house just streets away from the incident.
The attacker and his device
Pictures of the suspect appear to show him wearing a bomb belt. And shocking aftermath pictures show what is believed to be a bomb belt and a knife near the attacker.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said in a press conference the attacker was wearing “a vest which had the appearance of an explosive device”.
He said: “At this time, we know that a car was driven directly at members of the public outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Middleton Road, Crumpsall in Manchester.
“The driver of the car was seen then to attack people with a knife. He was wearing about his body a vest which had the appearance of an explosive device.”
Speaking outside New Scotland Yard, head of counter terrorism policing assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor confirmed the attack had been declared a terrorist incident.
He added that police believed they know the identity of the attacker, but were unable to confirm it due to the presence of the vest. A bomb squad was deployed at the scene of the attack, but police sources said they don’t believe it was viable, the Mail reports.
The victims
The two people that died were members of the Jewish community, Chief Constable Watson said. The horror unfolded on Thursday morning as worshippers made their way to gather for a prayer service to mark Yom Kippur.
According to the schedule posted on the synagogue’s website, a Shacharis – a morning prayer service – was due to begin at 9am. Officers were called to the scene at 09.31am to reports of a car driving at people and a knifeman on the loose.
Today’s congregation is likely to have been larger than at any other day in the year as many irreligious Jews often go to synagogues to mark Yom Kippur.
PM statement
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer flew back early from a summit of European leaders in Denmark and arrived at Downing Street in order to chair a Cobra meeting in Downing Street.
Speaking before he flew back from Copenhagen, he said: “The attack in Manchester this morning is absolutely shocking, and all of our thoughts are with those affected.
“I am on my way back to London. When I arrive, I will chair an emergency Cobra meeting. 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.
“I’ve spoken to Mark Gardner of the CST [Community Security Trust], and Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester. I want to thank the emergency services for the speed of their response.”
Reaction
Many members of the Jewish community say today’s attack was shocking but not surprising. Prominent Jewish journalist Stephen Pollard wrote in the Daily Mail: “As horrifying as this incident may be, I doubt that any of Britain’s 287,000 Jews will be surprised that such an event has come to pass.
“There has long been a sense of impending doom, a feeling that it was only a matter of time before angry rhetoric tipped over into violence.”
The horror came weeks after figures published by the Community Security Trust, which monitors hate against the Jewish community in Britain, revealed there had been 1,521 anti-Semitic incidents in the first half of 2025 alone. It has been met with universal disgust across the political spectrum.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “I think it is a vile and disgusting attack. I know that many Jewish people in our country feel that they’re no longer safe and my heart goes out to the people who have been hurt by this, and everyone who’s been affected.
“I want to say to Jewish people all around our country that you belong here. Britain is a country which will look after you. We need to make sure that the rise in antisemitism that we’re seeing in our country is quelled completely.”
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