A horrific terror attack targeting Jewish worshippers on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, has left two people dead and three others seriously injured in Manchester, UK. The assault, a combined vehicle-ramming and stabbing attack, took place outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Thursday morning as the community gathered for solemn prayer.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed they were called to the scene at 9:31 a.m. BST after receiving reports that a car had deliberately mounted the pavement and plowed into pedestrians. The driver then exited the vehicle and began indiscriminately stabbing people with a knife.
Armed police responded to the scene within minutes. At 9:38 a.m., the sole attacker was shot and neutralized by firearms officers. The suspect is believed to be deceased, though official confirmation was delayed as a bomb disposal unit was called in to assess “suspicious items on his person,” leading to a controlled explosion at the scene.
🔞🔞footage of the attack 18+:
Emergency services treated multiple casualties for injuries sustained from both the vehicle impact and stab wounds. Tragically, GMP confirmed that two victims died at the scene. Three other individuals, including a security guard, were transported to the hospital where they remain in serious condition.
Authorities are treating the incident as an act of terrorism, declaring a “major incident” and activating Operation Plato, the national protocol for a suspected marauding terrorist attack. Police credited the quick actions of a witness with enabling a rapid response that prevented the attacker from entering the synagogue itself, where a large congregation was present, an act that undoubtedly saved many more lives.
Security has been immediately and significantly increased at synagogues and Jewish community centers across Greater Manchester and nationwide as a precautionary measure
The attack has been met with widespread condemnation. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who is returning from a leaders’ meeting in Copenhagen, said he was “appalled by the sickening attack,” noting that its timing on Yom Kippur made it “all the more horrific.” He is set to chair an emergency COBR meeting upon his return. The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, described it as a “vile attack on our Jewish community on its holiest day.”
The Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that protects the UK’s Jewish community, called the assault “appalling.” The targeting of a synagogue on Yom Kippur—a day of fasting and introspection—is a clear and brutal act of antisemitic violence intended to inflict maximum terror and pain on the Jewish community.
