UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that the attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester was a targeted terrorist act against Jews. Speaking after chairing an emergency meeting in London, cutting short his trip to a European summit in Denmark. Starmer described the incident as “a vile terrorist attack” motivated by antisemitism .
Two Jewish men were killed and three others seriously injured in the Thursday attack. Police confirmed the victims were targeted specifically because of their faith.
Starmer also addressed the public on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “This was a vile terrorist attack that attacked Jews, because they are Jews. Antisemitism is a hatred that is rising, once again. Britain must defeat it, once again. To every Jewish person in this country: I promise that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security you deserve.”
The attack is being treated as a suspected antisemitic terror attack , with authorities alleging that the assailant deliberately targeted and killed Jewish people.
Police identified the attacker as a UK citizen of Syrian origin, who was shot dead by armed officers within minutes of the first emergency call. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the man was wearing a vest resembling an explosive device, which was later confirmed to be fake. He has been named by the police as Jihad Al-Shamie.
Within hours of the attack, three other people, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s, were arrested on suspicion of terror-related offenses, as reported by AFP.
The incident unfolded on Yom Kippur , the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, and was declared a terrorist incident by counter-terror officers. Many Orthodox Jewish worshippers, observing Yom Kippur without phones or computers, only learned of the attack after sundown.
The attacker reportedly drove into a crowd gathered outside the Synagogue before launching a stabbing spree, leaving multiple victims seriously wounded, according to AFP. A woman who also identified as a Jew and lives next door to the synagogue said that as soon as the suspect got out of the car, he "started stabbing anyone near him," reported BBC.
Chief Constable Stephen Watson said the attacker first rammed a car into people gathered outside the synagogue before stabbing victims with a knife. Officers opened fire after issuing warnings, preventing the suspect from entering the building. “They gave him a couple of warnings, he didn't listen until they opened fire," the witness told AFP.
GMP said they received an alert shortly after 9:30 AM (0830 GMT) that a car had driven into people outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue and that a security guard had been attacked with a knife. They praised the residents for alerting them swiftly, saying the response prevented an even greater tragedy.
Two prominent Jewish organizations in the UK told CNN that the attack at the synagogue was sadly something they feared was coming. “As we emerge from the fast of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in our calendar, many in our community will only now be learning of the horrific attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester,” a joint statement from the Jewish Leadership Council and Board of Deputies of British Jews said. They called on those in positions of power and influence to take strong action to combat hatred against the Jewish community and reiterated their support for the authorities in protecting their people.
The attack has drawn global condemnation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “barbaric attack,” while Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused British authorities of failing to curb antisemitic and anti-Israel incitement. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the targeting of a synagogue on Yom Kippur as “particularly heinous,” and King Charles III and Queen Camilla said they were “deeply shocked and saddened”, reported AFP.
The incident comes just days before the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 assault on Israel, which triggered the ongoing Gaza war. Analysts noted it was among the worst antisemitic attacks in Europe since then.
Manchester, home to more than 28,000 Jews according to 2021 data, has faced grievously deadly terror attacks before, strikingly the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing that killed 22 people.
Two Jewish men were killed and three others seriously injured in the Thursday attack. Police confirmed the victims were targeted specifically because of their faith.
Starmer also addressed the public on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “This was a vile terrorist attack that attacked Jews, because they are Jews. Antisemitism is a hatred that is rising, once again. Britain must defeat it, once again. To every Jewish person in this country: I promise that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security you deserve.”
This was a vile terrorist attack that attacked Jews, because they are Jews.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 2, 2025
Antisemitism is a hatred that is rising, once again. Britain must defeat it, once again.
To every Jewish person in this country: I promise that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the… pic.twitter.com/DAd9OaGNMc
The attack is being treated as a suspected antisemitic terror attack , with authorities alleging that the assailant deliberately targeted and killed Jewish people.
Police identified the attacker as a UK citizen of Syrian origin, who was shot dead by armed officers within minutes of the first emergency call. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the man was wearing a vest resembling an explosive device, which was later confirmed to be fake. He has been named by the police as Jihad Al-Shamie.
Within hours of the attack, three other people, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s, were arrested on suspicion of terror-related offenses, as reported by AFP.
The incident unfolded on Yom Kippur , the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, and was declared a terrorist incident by counter-terror officers. Many Orthodox Jewish worshippers, observing Yom Kippur without phones or computers, only learned of the attack after sundown.
The attacker reportedly drove into a crowd gathered outside the Synagogue before launching a stabbing spree, leaving multiple victims seriously wounded, according to AFP. A woman who also identified as a Jew and lives next door to the synagogue said that as soon as the suspect got out of the car, he "started stabbing anyone near him," reported BBC.
Chief Constable Stephen Watson said the attacker first rammed a car into people gathered outside the synagogue before stabbing victims with a knife. Officers opened fire after issuing warnings, preventing the suspect from entering the building. “They gave him a couple of warnings, he didn't listen until they opened fire," the witness told AFP.
GMP said they received an alert shortly after 9:30 AM (0830 GMT) that a car had driven into people outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue and that a security guard had been attacked with a knife. They praised the residents for alerting them swiftly, saying the response prevented an even greater tragedy.
Two prominent Jewish organizations in the UK told CNN that the attack at the synagogue was sadly something they feared was coming. “As we emerge from the fast of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in our calendar, many in our community will only now be learning of the horrific attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester,” a joint statement from the Jewish Leadership Council and Board of Deputies of British Jews said. They called on those in positions of power and influence to take strong action to combat hatred against the Jewish community and reiterated their support for the authorities in protecting their people.
The attack has drawn global condemnation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “barbaric attack,” while Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused British authorities of failing to curb antisemitic and anti-Israel incitement. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the targeting of a synagogue on Yom Kippur as “particularly heinous,” and King Charles III and Queen Camilla said they were “deeply shocked and saddened”, reported AFP.
The incident comes just days before the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 assault on Israel, which triggered the ongoing Gaza war. Analysts noted it was among the worst antisemitic attacks in Europe since then.
Manchester, home to more than 28,000 Jews according to 2021 data, has faced grievously deadly terror attacks before, strikingly the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing that killed 22 people.
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