Armed police officers stood guard inside a cordon near the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester, after a car-ramming and stabbing attack on Thursday that left two people dead, and three others injured. The attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, is being treated as a terrorist incident by Greater Manchester Police.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack, stating, “While this is not a new hate, this is something Jews have always lived with… We must be clear, it is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again.”
Timeline of the attack
The assault began around 9.30 am, local time, when Greater Manchester Police received reports that a car had been driven into people outside the synagogue. Witnesses said the vehicle rammed into the gates before the driver emerged with a knife and began stabbing worshippers.
By 9.38 am, armed officers who had rushed to the scene shot the attacker dead after issuing repeated warnings. In those seven minutes, chaos unfolded as congregants, who had gathered in large numbers for Yom Kippur prayers, tried to seek safety.
Chava Lewin, a resident living next to the synagogue, told The Times, “I thought it might be a firework. My husband went outside and then ran back inside and said, ‘There’s been a terrorist attack’.” Another witness said, “She thought maybe he had a heart attack. The second he got out of the car, he started stabbing anyone near him. He went for the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue. He was in the courtyard. Someone barricaded the door.”
Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson confirmed that worshippers and security staff managed to prevent the suspect from entering the synagogue building. A video circulated on social media showed armed police aiming their weapons at the suspect outside the gates, as bystanders shouted warnings that he appeared to have a bomb. Police later confirmed the vest he was wearing looked like an explosive device but was not viable.
One witness could be heard shouting, “He’s got a bomb on his f***ing jacket. He’s going to blow himself up. He’s trying to press the button.” Moments later, officers fired again, killing the man.
By 10.30 am, police declared the immediate danger over but continued to urge the public to stay away from the area.
Suspect identified
The attacker was later identified as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent who came to the UK as a young child and was granted citizenship in 2006 as a minor. Police said his name did not appear in Prevent, the UK government’s counter-terrorism programme, and his motive remains unclear.
Three other people, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s, were arrested on suspicion of committing acts of terrorism within hours of the attack.
Victims
Police confirmed that two Jewish men were killed in the attack. Three others were critically injured, including a security guard who was stabbed outside the synagogue. Authorities are yet to release the identities of the victims, and it remains unclear whether the guard was serving in a professional or voluntary capacity.
Reactions
Prime Minister Keir Starmer cut short his participation in a European summit in Copenhagen and returned to London to chair an emergency security meeting. He condemned the “vile individual” responsible for the attack and said Jews were attacked “because they are Jews.” Starmer pledged to guarantee the security of Britain’s Jewish population, “starting with a more visible police presence.”
King Charles III and Queen Camilla expressed their condolences, saying they were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”
Local residents expressed disbelief, with one man telling Sky News, “This is an extremely tolerant community, where people of many faiths, including Jews and Muslims, have lived side by side for years, and I am stunned by what has taken place.” Rabbi Jonathan Romain of Maidenhead synagogue told The Times, “The incident was every Jewish person’s worst nightmare. Not only is this a sacred day, the most sacred in the Jewish calendar, but it’s also a time of mass gathering, and the time when the Jewish community, however religious or irreligious, gathers together.”
Antisemitism concerns
The attack has sparked wider fears about the rise of antisemitism in the UK. Opposition Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called the incident “vile and disgusting” and condemned “the rise in antisemitism that we’re seeing in our country.”
According to the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity monitoring antisemitism in the UK, 3,528 antisemitic incidents were recorded in 2024, the second highest annual figure ever. Nineteen of those involved damage to synagogues. The highest number was in 2023, with 4,296 incidents recorded.
(With inputs from First Post)
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