An attack in front of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue left two people dead and three seriously injured
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On Thursday morning, an attack in Manchester shocked the Jewish community during Yom Kippur, the most important holiday on the Hebrew calendar. A terrorist rammed into pedestrians in front of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, in the Crumpsall neighborhood, and a man was stabbed. So far, the toll is two dead and three seriously injured.
Security forces received the first alert at 9:31 a.m. local time and deployed armed officers who, minutes later, opened fire on the terrorist, who died at the scene. The North West Ambulance Service quickly assisted the victims, who had injuries both from the impact of the vehicle and from stab wounds.
Official reactions and police deployment
The head of the metropolitan area, Andy Burnham, stated in an interview with the BBC that "this is not an ongoing or developing incident" and asked the public "not to speculate on social media." Police activated the national Operation Plato protocol, designed to respond to ongoing attacks, although "without confirming that this is a terrorist act."
Atentado en sinagoga de Manchester durante Yom Kippur deja dos muertos y tres heridos
Images shared on social media showed officers aiming at a suspect on the ground in front of the synagogue, as well as victims lying with visible traces of blood.
Condemnation from the community and the government
From the Community Security Trust (CST), an organization dedicated to monitoring antisemitism in the United Kingdom, its spokesperson Dave Rich described the attack as "horrific on the holiest day of the Jewish year" and thanked the police for their swift intervention.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "horrified" by what happened, cut short his schedule at a summit in Copenhagen, and convened the government's emergency committee. "The fact that this happened on Yom Kippur makes it even more appalling," he stated on social network X.
Atentado en sinagoga de Manchester durante Yom Kippur deja dos muertos y tres heridos
Tension in the United Kingdom
The attack comes amid a climate of growing concern for security in the United Kingdom, in the context of demonstrations related to the conflict in Gaza and with the memory still fresh of the 2017 Manchester attack, which left 22 dead during a concert.
The CST and Greater Manchester Police are working together to ensure the protection of the Jewish community, especially during religious holidays when attendance at synagogues is massive.
