**Terrorist Attack Outside Manchester Synagogue on Yom Kippur Leaves Two Dead**
*Manchester, England* — An assailant drove a car into people outside a synagogue in northern England on Thursday before launching a stabbing attack, killing two and seriously wounding four others in what police have declared a terrorist attack on the holiest day of the Jewish year.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed that officers shot and killed the suspect. However, authorities took some time to confirm his death due to concerns that he might have been carrying an explosive device. The Metropolitan Police in London, which leads counter-terrorism policing operations, officially classified the assault as a terrorist attack.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor revealed that two other suspects were arrested in connection with the incident, though he did not provide further details. Police believe they know the identity of the primary attacker but have yet to confirm it publicly.
The attack occurred outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, an Orthodox synagogue in a suburban neighborhood of Manchester, just as worshippers had gathered to observe Yom Kippur — the Day of Atonement and the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. Police confirmed that the two individuals who were killed were Jewish.
### Surge in Antisemitic Incidents Following Middle East Conflict
The assault comes amid a surge in antisemitic incidents in the U.K. Community Security Trust, an advocacy group working to combat antisemitism among British Jews, reported more than 1,500 incidents in the first half of 2023, marking the second-highest total ever recorded. This rise has been linked to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
Rabbi Jonathan Romain of Maidenhead Synagogue and head of the Rabbinic Court of Great Britain said, “This is every rabbi’s or 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.”
### Eyewitness Accounts of the Attack
Greater Manchester Police shared details of the attack via a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter). Emergency services were called shortly after 9:30 a.m., just before services were set to begin. A witness reported seeing a car being driven toward members of the public and that one man had been stabbed.
Chava Lewin, who lives next to the synagogue, described hearing a loud bang and initially mistaking it for a firework. Her husband soon ran inside their home, alerting her that a terrorist attack was underway.
Another witness reported seeing a car driving erratically before crashing into the synagogue’s gates. “I thought maybe he had a heart attack,” Lewin said. She described how the attacker immediately began stabbing anyone near him upon exiting the vehicle, targeting a security guard as he tried to break into the synagogue.
Minutes later, police fired shots and believed they had hit the assailant. Social media videos showed officers with guns aimed at a person lying on the ground beneath a blue Star of David displayed on the synagogue’s brick wall. A bystander was heard saying the man had a bomb and was attempting to detonate it. When the suspect tried to stand, a gunshot rang out, and he fell.
Authorities later detonated an explosive to gain access to the attacker’s car.
### Historical Context and Official Responses
Manchester was the site of Britain’s deadliest recent terror attack in 2017, when a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert killed 22 people.
Immediately following Thursday’s attack, police declared “Plato,” the national code word for a marauding terror attack emergency response.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack, saying he was appalled. Additional police officers will be deployed to synagogues across the U.K. Starmer cut short a European leaders’ summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, returning to London to chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee.
“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” Starmer said on X.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla expressed their devastation in a social media statement: “We are deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the attack on such a significant day for the Jewish community. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident, and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services.”
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*This is a developing story. Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.*
https://ktar.com/world-news/yom-kippur-terrorist-attack-england/5757104/