British police have arrested two people in connection with what authorities are treating as a terrorist attack outside a synagogue in Manchester that left two people dead and four seriously wounded on Thursday, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
The assailant rammed a car into worshippers gathered outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Crumpsall district before stabbing several victims. Police said he appeared to be wearing a vest that resembled an explosive device. Armed officers rushed to the scene and shot him dead.
“This has been declared a terrorist incident,” said Laurence Taylor, assistant commissioner for counterterrorism policing at London’s Metropolitan Police. He confirmed two arrests had been made as part of the investigation.
The attack prompted Prime Minister Keir Starmer to cut short his participation at a European political meeting in Copenhagen and return to London to chair an emergency session. “We will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe,” he said, adding that additional police would be deployed to synagogues nationwide.
The assault, carried out on Yom Kippur, sent shock waves through Britain’s Jewish community. King Charles said he was “deeply shocked and saddened.” The Israeli Embassy in London called the attack “abhorrent and deeply distressing,” and said it was in close contact with community leaders in Manchester.
The violence comes amid a global rise in antisemitic incidents since the war in Gaza erupted nearly a year ago. France and Germany have also reported sharp increases in attacks on Jewish people and institutions. French President Emmanuel Macron said France “stands alongside Britain’s Jewish community” in solidarity.
