An alleged knifeman was shot multiple times by police outside a synagogue in Manchester, England, on Thursday morning as officers responded to an automobile and stabbing attack.
Several people were hit by a car and stabbed by an alleged knifeman at Heaton Park synagogue, on Middleton Road. City mayor Andy Burnham told local media that he had been told by police that a car had been driven by a man at members of the public and that he had dismounted and attempted to stab people.
Update 1140 BST — Bomb Disposal Team arrive on scene
A graphic video posted to social media shortly after the attack and geolocated to the Synagogue where it took place included snippets of speech from witnesses and police officers referring to a bomb. Now, GB News states a witness has told them they saw that the suspect was wearing what they described as a “vest with wires” and the bomb squad are now at the scene. No indication if the threat is serious yet, however.
Update 1115 BST — Yom Kippur service was targeted, says Mayor
Mayor Andy Burnham, who has been giving most of the updates on this morning’s attack so far, is continuing to speak. The Daily Telegraph transcribes his comments to radio: “Today is Yom Kippur, as I understand, and obviously I think that explains why people were around, why there were a number of people gathered outside the synagogue, and why lots of people were attending a service.
“We understand this is a situation that probably is linked to the fact it is Yom Kippur, a day of celebration for the Jewish community. We can only imagine how people are feeling when they hear this news. The fear this will bring.”
The Manchester Evening News notes the area around the attacked Synagogue has a large Jewish communite.
The UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is in Denmark today for a European political meeting but has said he will cut short his attendance to fly home and chair an emergency meeting on the attack. Saying the attack appalled him, Mr Starmer said in a statement: “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.”
While police have as of yet released nothing on the identity of the driver-knifeman or his motivations, the automobile-knife combination attack is already well established as the classic modus operandi of Islamist extremists in Europe. Unlike more sophisticated plots involving firearms or explosives, the acquisition of which can tend to land terrorists on the radar of the security services, cars and kitchen knives are freely available without scrutiny.
The original story continues below
The suspect is not believed to have been able to gain access to the inside of the Synagogue. Mayor Burnham told the BBC that four people had injuries from being run over and stabbed, and that paramedics were at the scene to treat injured members of the public. He said the alleged perpetrator is dead.
The Mayor also confirmed events as portrayed in graphic footage circulating on social media that armed police had responded to the scene and shot the perpetrator. In one circulating video which can be geo-located to the same Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue where the attack took place, a man can be seen lying on the ground while being covered by armed officers, who are shouting at the public to get back because of the risk of a bomb.
As the prone man attempts to stand up, he is shot by a police officer. Also seen in the video is a second man on the ground, who appears to be a victim, lying in the gutter in a pool of blood.
Police said they have declared a major incident.
The Community Safety Trust, a Jewish charity that works to provide security to Jewish people and institutions in the United Kingdom was quickly on the scene. They said in a statement on Thursday morning that: “CST is working with police and the local Jewish community following a serious incident at a synagogue in north Manchester. This appears to be an appalling attack on the holiest day of the Jewish year. We thank the GMP officers and synagogue security who responded immediately to deal with the incident.”
The attack comes on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for the Jewish faith. It also follows by just one day the arrests of an alleged Hamas cell in Berlin, Germany, which prosecutors claim was intending to assassinate Jewish people and which had acquired firearms and a “significant” quantity of ammunition.
This story is developing and more follows
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