The sanctity of Yom Kippur was left in bloody shards Thursday after an attack on a Manchester, England, synagogue left two people dead before the attacker was killed by police.
The incident took place at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue at about 9:30 a.m., according to the U.K. Telegraph, which reported that images from the scene showed a man wearing what police feared was a “suicide belt.”
Police said the man drove into pedestrians and attacked people with a knife, leaving two people dead and three people seriously injured.
Sky News reported that one of those killed was a security guard outside the synagogue.
This is allegedly the Manchester synagogue attacker – complete with bomb belt. Thanks to our open borders, there are thousands more sleepers around country / waiting to attack. And @Keir_Starmer recognises Palestine. The UK has fallen. pic.twitter.com/Y0xjJCBdkA
— Active Patriot News (@patriotnews_1) October 2, 2025
“Shots were fired by Greater Manchester Police firearms officers at 9:38 a.m. One man has been shot, believed to be the offender,” a police representative said.
Police said the “quick response” of a witness led to “swift action” from police to prevent the attacker “from entering the synagogue.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” and “absolutely shocked” and was returning to Britain from a meeting in Denmark, adding that “additional police assets are being deployed to synagogues across the country”.
“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” he said, according to GB News.
The attack took place near the time a Yom Kippur prayer service, according to the BBC. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn day on the Jewish calendar when Jews seek forgiveness for sins.
The BBC quoted a man identified as Gareth, who said he saw bodies on the ground amid people shouting.
He said, he saw a man “stabbing the window” of a building “trying to get in.”
“Within seconds, the police arrived. They gave him a couple of warnings. He didn’t listen, so they opened fire,” Gareth said. The man went down.
The man “started getting back up, and [the police] shot him again,” Gareth said.
A bomb disposal unit arrived on the scene; a controlled explosion later took place.
King Charles III said, he and Queen Camilla are “deeply shocked and saddened” by the attack.
On the holiest day of the year we are attacked at a Manchester synagogue. Our children walk to school behind barbed wire protected by guns. Yet some still answer this atrocity with “what about…” This is my country, the sanctuary my grandfather found after surviving the…
— Rob Rinder (@RobbieRinder) October 2, 2025
“Especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community,” he said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident, and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services.”
As of early Thursday, police had not released any information about the identity of the man who attacked the synagogue.
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