At least two Jewish worshippers were killed and three others seriously injured in a car ramming and stabbing attack outside a synagogue in the English city of Manchester on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who flew back early to the UK from Denmark to chair an emergency meeting, condemned the attack and warned that hatred “is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again.”
He used his address to reassure Britain’s Jewish community and vowed to do “everything” in his power to guarantee their security, starting with “a more visible police presence protecting your community.”
UK authorities announced heightened security measures at synagogues across the country after police declared a terrorist incident – against the backdrop of rising antisemitism and other forms of religious hatred worldwide following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks and Israel’s war in Gaza.
Here’s what we know about the suspect, the attack, and what may come next.
What happened?
Armed officers swiftly arrived at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Manchester suburb of Crumpsall, after receiving a call from a member of the public at 9:31 a.m local time (4:31 a.m. ET) on Thursday, the city’s police said.
A car had been driven at members of the public and a member of the security detail outside the synagogue had been stabbed, according to a statement from Greater Manchester Police. The suspected assailant, identified by police as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, died after he was shot by firearms officers.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said the attacker was wearing a vest “which had the appearance of an explosive device.” Police later confirmed to CNN that the device “wasn’t viable,” adding that they couldn’t provide any further details.
Two men were killed in the incident and three others remain in hospital with serious injuries, police said in a statement. One of the injured was stabbed, and another was struck by the car involved in the attack.
Police said a third man “later presented himself at hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker.”
Video circulating on social media and geolocated by CNN appeared to show armed police officers shouting instructions at bystanders and worshippers inside the synagogue, while pointing their weapons at a person lying on the ground.
Police launched an investigation and declared a “terrorist incident,” the head of UK counter-terrorism policing Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.
Greater Manchester Police had declared PLATO – a national code word used when police deploy armed officers across the force to the scene of an attack, CNN understands.
Photos emerged of rescue crews dressed in high-visibility vests, shocked worshippers and faith leaders embracing one another near the synagogue. Eyewitnesses and local residents recalled scenes of helicopters circling overhead as emergency responders rushed to the site.
“It’s just horrendous,” Olivia Gold, who lives by the synagogue, told PA Media news agency. “We’re a quiet community, just leave us alone. We don’t want any of this.”
Who is the suspect?
UK counter-terrorism police named the suspect as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, although they said “formal identification is yet to take place.”
Police said that Al-Shamie had not been referred to the UK Home Office’s Prevent program, according to the information currently available. The program is a central plank of Britain’s strategy to combat terrorism.
Alongside Al-Shamie, police said that three other suspects – two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s – are in custody and have been arrested “on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.”
Video obtained by CNN shows police arresting two men less than a quarter of a mile from the synagogue.
In the video, several police vehicles can be seen parked along a quiet residential street in the northern English city. One individual is escorted from a house, handcuffed by a police officer, while another handcuffed person is seen standing on the street.
What unfolded inside the synagogue?
Gary Wernick, one of a few dozen people inside the Heaton Park synagogue when the attack happened, said worshippers held the door shut to fend off the attacker.
Speaking to CNN’s Nic Robertson, Wernick described how the attacker had first arrived on the scene before prayers began and was acting suspiciously, asking security guards for directions. He then went away and returned about 20 minutes later, just after 9 a.m., when the attack started.
Inside the synagogue, Wernick said, terrified children as young as six hid under pews, not knowing if the attacker would make it inside. When police made it inside and ordered them all to put their hands up, Wernick said he told them not to shoot the children still hiding under the pews.
“I saw somebody I knew, sitting in a chair, or been put in a chair who was covered with blood,” he said. “At that point I knew it was a serious incident.”
Soon after the attack, Wernick said, the congregation continued their Yom Kippur prayers in the open street, while police began their investigation.
“Somebody brought out a load of chairs and loads of prayer books, and we sat down, and we continued our services in the street,” he said. “We’re not going to allow one (person)… to change our patterns. This is our life.”
Why is the timing significant?
The attack in Manchester fell on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement – when synagogues are particularly packed as congregants come together to perform long services, asking for forgiveness from God and others.
Worshippers observe the occasion by abstaining from food and drink. They do not bathe, do not wear leather shoes or gold jewelry and do not engage in spousal intimacy.
Worshippers in Crumpsall were due to gather on Thursday for a Shacharis, a morning prayer service, at 9 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) at Heaton Park Synagogue. In total, organizers at the synagogue had scheduled seven events, including a children’s service at 12:15 p.m.
European politicians condemned the timing of the attack, warning against an increasingly fraught climate of antisemitism in Britain and beyond over the past two years.
More than 3,500 episodes of anti-Jewish sentiment took place in 2024, and over 4,000 were recorded the year prior, according to the Community Security Trust, a non-profit that aims to protect British Jewish people from terrorism and antisemitism.
Between January and July of 2025, the charity recorded more than 1,500 antisemitic incidents, the second-highest total ever reported in the first six months of any year.
How did lawmakers and faith leaders respond?
UK politicians, mayors and leaders from across the political spectrum shared condolences after the attack. Others announced additional police assets outside synagogues – including in the British capital, London.
Starmer said the Manchester synagogue attacker targeted “Jews because they are Jews,” adding that the UK must defeat this rising hatred.
“Today, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day for the Jewish community, a vile individual committed a terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews, and attack Britain because of our values,” the prime minister told a press conference.
Two prominent Jewish organizations in the UK said the attack was “sadly something we feared was coming” due to rising antisemitism in the country.
Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch condemned the “vile and disgusting” attack. “I know many in our Jewish community will feel shaken. They deserve to know they are not alone,” the Conservative Party leader said in a post on X. And the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, spoke of a “fear” among local residents.
Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla were “deeply shocked and saddened” by the synagogue attack. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services,” the king said in a statement.
The Muslim Council of Britain, which advocates for several UK mosques and Muslim organizations, “unequivocally” condemned the “act of violence.”
CNN reached out to Britain’s chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, for comment.
