LONDON — Police said they had shot a man suspected in a stabbing and car-ramming that injured four people at a synagogue Thursday in the northern English city of Manchester on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Greater Manchester Police said in a series of posts on X that a major incident was declared after a member of the public reported that they had “witnessed a car being driven toward members of the public” and that one “man had been stabbed” near the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, an area known for its large Jewish community.
Minutes later, police said a man “believed to be the offender” had been shot by officers.
“Paramedics arrived at the scene at 9:41 (4:41 a.m. ET) and are tending to members of the public, currently four members of the public with injuries caused by both the vehicle and stab wounds.” the force said on X.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was at a European Summit in Copenhagen, told reporters he was immediately traveling back to London to chair a meeting of COBRA, the U.K.’s emergency response committee.
“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,” he said.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of the Greater Manchester area, told BBC Radio the “immediate danger appears to be over.”
He said firearms officers were deployed “as police continued to receive further reports from members of the public that a security guard had been attacked with a knife.”
The Northwest Ambulance Service said in a statement that it was “assessing the situation and working with other members of the emergency services.”
“Our priority is to ensure people receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible,” it said.
Earlier, Starmer said he was “appalled” by the attack in a post on X.
“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific. My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders,” said Starmer, whose wife Victoria is Jewish.
The Community Security Trust, a Jewish charity that provides security services, said it was “working with police and the local Jewish community.”
“This appears to be an appalling attack on the holiest day of the Jewish year,” the group added in a statement on X.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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