Summary: what we know so far
Two members of the Jewish community have died and three people remain in hospital after a terrorist attack outside a synagogue by a man who was shot dead by officers, Greater Manchester police (GMP) have said.
Police shot the suspect dead, who appeared to be wearing an “explosive device”, after one person was stabbed and a car was driven at members of the public at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
GMP said the suspicious device worn by the attacker has been assessed and was determined not to be viable.
The man who carried out the attack was named by GMP as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent. A police statement added: “Based on what we currently know, our records do not show any previous Prevent referrals relating to this individual.” Officials said the attacker had entered the United Kingdom as a young child, and was granted British citizenship in 2006. They added he was of Syrian descent originally.
GMP also said in the statement that three people were in custody after being arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. They are two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s. The GMP statement added: “Scenes remain in place on White House Avenue, Crumpsall and Langley Crescent, Prestwich, which are also linked to the arrests.”
GMP said officers were called to the synagogue on Middleton Road at 9.31am by a person who said he had witnessed a car being driven towards members of the public and that one man had been stabbed.
GMP said it declared Plato – the national codeword used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack” – at 9.37am. Bomb disposal crews arrived at the scene and military personnel in fatigues could be seen unloading equipment from the back of a vehicle a short distance from the synagogue.
At least two ambulances were at the scene along with two fire engines and a large number of police vehicles, including several unmarked ones, while a police helicopter flew overhead. Members of the Jewish Community Security Trust (CST) were manning the police cordon.
The GMP chief constable, Stephen Watson, later said the attacker was wearing a vest that looked like an “explosive device” but this was later confirmed to be unviable. He also said that, thanks to the bravery of worshippers, security staff and the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from entering the synagogue.
Witnesses were said to have seen a car driving erratically before a man got out and started attacking people with a knife. When it became clear what was happening, members of the congregation are said to have blockaded the doors to the synagogue.
Keir Starmer flew back to the UK early from a meeting of European leaders in Denmark in order to chair an emergency Cobra meeting after the incident.
The Cobra meeting, which saw home secretary Shabana Mahmood dial in remotely from north Manchester, concluded shortly after 5pm and lasted around an hour.
Other religious leaders have spoken about the attack in Manchester.
The Church of England’s current most senior bishop, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, said he was “very shocked” to hear what had happened and was praying that “all may live alongside each other in harmony and respect”.
Echoing this, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, said: “It is a duty of us all to work together to ensure a more cohesive and respectful society, one in which such violence and inhumanity have no place.”
Cardinal Nichols, who is the Archbishop of Westminster, said the attack “shocks me to the core” and described how Jews and Christians “are closely bound together in our common faith in God”.
He added: “My prayers, and those of the Catholic community, are heartfelt and profound: for those who have died, the bereaved, the injured, and those who will feel less safe tonight.”
Imam Qari Asim, co-chair of the British Muslim Network, said: “Places of worship must always be sanctuaries of peace and safety – not scenes of fear and hatred. We cannot ignore the growing tide of religious hatred in our country. Whether it is Islamophobia, antisemitism or any form of bigotry, we must confront it together – with unity and courage, not silence.”
He added: “The bloodshed and violence in the Middle East – which is excruciatingly painful to witness for all of us – must not be allowed to poison our streets in Britain. We must never let pain abroad be used to justify hatred and violence against anyone at home.”
Rabbi Jonathan Romain, emeritus rabbi of Maidenhead Synagogue, said it appeared tensions over the war in Gaza had “spilled over” to the UK, despite efforts to stop that happening. He told the PA news agency: “The real tragedy is, of course, that the war in Gaza, which is tragic in itself, has sort of spilled over into the United Kingdom.”
Meanwhile, the British Muslim Trust described the attack as “despicable” and “cowardly”, and said it stands with the Jewish community.
