A deadly attack outside a synagogue in northwest England on Thursday has shaken the country and sparked nationwide concern over antisemitic violence. On Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, a man drove a car into a group of people before launching a knife attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, a northern suburb of Manchester.
Two people were killed and at least three others were seriously injured in the assault. Police shot and killed the attacker at the scene and later declared the incident an act of terrorism, reports AP/UNB.
Authorities were first alerted to the attack shortly after 9:30 a.m. by a member of the public. Officers arrived within minutes and swiftly contained the situation. Greater Manchester Police commended the “quick thinking” of the witness who raised the alarm, and the “bravery” of synagogue security staff and congregants who helped prevent the assailant from entering the synagogue.
The two people who lost their lives were Jewish, police confirmed, and efforts are underway to formally identify them. Three other individuals were taken to hospital in serious condition. One suffered stab wounds, another was struck by the attacker’s vehicle, and a third may have been injured during the police operation. The condition of a fourth person taken to hospital remains unknown.
The attacker was identified late Thursday as Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent. He was not known to authorities and had no prior involvement in the UK’s Prevent program, which monitors individuals at risk of radicalization. Confirmation of his death was initially delayed due to concerns over suspicious items on his body that resembled explosives, but police later confirmed he was not carrying a bomb.
Three other individuals — two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s — have since been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offenses as part of the ongoing investigation.
The Metropolitan Police, which oversees counterterrorism efforts across the UK, confirmed about six hours after the incident that the attack is being treated as an act of terrorism. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor announced an increase in police patrols around synagogues and other Jewish community sites to provide reassurance and protection in the wake of the violence.
While investigators have not yet confirmed a motive, the fact that the attack took place on Yom Kippur, a deeply sacred day for Jews marked by prayer and fasting, has fueled fears that it was driven by religious hatred.
The response from the UK government was swift. Prime Minister Keir Starmer returned early from a European leaders’ summit in Copenhagen to chair an emergency security meeting in London. He condemned the attacker as a “vile individual” who targeted Jews “because they are Jews,” and promised to strengthen protections for the Jewish community, beginning with a more visible police presence.
The Jewish community has expressed shock and grief. The Israeli Embassy in London called the attack “abhorrent and deeply distressing.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended condolences to the victims’ families and wished the injured a full recovery. “Weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism,” Netanyahu said. “Only strength and unity can defeat it.”
King Charles III also expressed sorrow over the incident, stating that he and Queen Camilla were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”
The attack comes amid a troubling rise in antisemitic incidents across the UK. According to the Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitism, over 1,500 incidents were recorded in the first half of this year — the second-highest ever, following a spike in violence and hate speech after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent military conflict in Gaza.
Starmer acknowledged the disturbing trend, calling antisemitism “a hatred that is rising once again” and vowing that “Britain must defeat it once again.”
As the investigation continues, questions remain about whether the attacker acted alone or as part of a wider network. What is clear, however, is that the attack has deeply rattled the Jewish community and rekindled urgent national conversations about rising hate, security, and solidarity in the face of terrorism.
