A devastating attack unfolded outside a synagogue in Manchester, England, on Thursday, as an assailant rammed a car into a crowd before launching a stabbing spree. The incident, which killed two people, has been officially declared an act of terrorism, occurring on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Authorities identified the attacker as Jihad al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent. Counterterrorism investigators are actively working to uncover the full motivation behind this violent act.
In connection with the assault at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, three other individuals have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the commission, preparation, and instigation of terrorist acts. While their names have not been released due to privacy protocols, police confirmed they are two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s.
Stephen Watson, the chief constable of the Greater Manchester Police, reported that officers arrived on the scene within minutes of receiving calls about the attack, which also left three people seriously wounded. The perpetrator, who was wearing a vest described by Chief Constable Watson as having the “appearance of an explosive device,” was shot and killed by police. Investigators later confirmed the device was not capable of causing an explosion.
This act of violence in Manchester intensifies existing concerns across Europe and the United States regarding the safety of Jewish communities, especially amid a documented rise in antisemitism linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Police officers in Manchester, England, on Thursday, near the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, where two people were killed. The assailant was shot dead by the police.
People who live near the synagogue waiting on Thursday during the police investigation.
Britain’s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, condemned the attack as “absolutely shocking,” labeling the assailant a “vile individual who wanted to attack Jews because they are Jews.” He promptly returned from a European leaders’ conference in Copenhagen to convene a government committee addressing national emergencies.
Prime Minister Starmer expressed grave concern that Britain is being affected by a “hatred that is rising once again.”
The attack sent shockwaves through Manchester’s Jewish community, a vibrant multicultural city known for its significant Jewish and Muslim populations. The incident has led to increased police protection at Jewish cultural and religious sites nationwide.
For some members of the Jewish community living near the synagogue, the gravity of the situation remained unknown for hours due to the holiday’s prohibition on using phones.
“It’s this new feeling among the community that this place is no longer safe,” shared Chen Bass, 27, an Orthodox Jewish mother of two from the area. “We think we will see more and more of this.”
Manchester’s Mayor, Andy Burnham, highlighted to the BBC that the Jewish community has experienced “rising incidents of antisemitism over recent times” and has been “living with a higher state of anxiety because of the times that we’re living in.”
Police stated that their records do not indicate Jihad al-Shamie had previously been identified as a potential threat by Britain’s official counterterrorism operations.
Searches were conducted at two properties connected to the attacker and the arrested individuals: one in Crumpsall, a short distance from the synagogue, and another in Prestwich, approximately two miles away.
Manchester, one of England’s largest metropolitan areas, is home to Britain’s second-largest Jewish community, comprising around 30,000 people. Its rich multiculturalism is a result of diverse immigration.
Since early 2017, Britain has seen 19 other violent incidents officially classified as terrorism by police or judicial authorities. Of these, 11 were linked to Islamist motives, five to right-wing extremism, and one to left-wing extremism, with the motive remaining unclear in two cases.
While none of these attacks directly targeted synagogues, British security services have successfully thwarted several terrorist plots against Jewish individuals and places of worship over the past decade, including those planned by neo-Nazis and Islamic State supporters.
Girls walking near the synagogue on Thursday.
The Community Security Trust, a British charity monitoring antisemitism, has reported a significant increase in all categories of anti-Jewish attacks since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023. In the first half of this year alone, they documented 1,521 anti-Jewish hate incidents, including 73 assaults and 84 cases of “damage and desecration to Jewish property,” many of which occurred at synagogues.
Manchester itself was the site of one of Britain’s deadliest terrorist attacks in May 2017, when an Islamic State supporter detonated a powerful bomb among Ariana Grande concert-goers at Manchester Arena. Twenty-two people, including several children, were killed, and hundreds more were injured. The suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, 22, had planned the attack with his younger brother, Hashem Abedi, who is now serving a life sentence.
Images and videos of Thursday’s assault, including the moment police officers fatally shot the attacker, quickly circulated across social media platforms.
Martin Hamer, a Manchester resident driving through the neighborhood for work, initially believed he was witnessing a traffic accident outside the Heaton Park synagogue. Moments before police arrived, he observed the attacker attempting to break into the synagogue through a window.
Officials emphasized that the attack could have been far more catastrophic if not for the “immediate bravery of security staff” who successfully prevented the assailant from gaining entry to the synagogue.
Osher Luftag, 18, a local resident, described it as “a crazy moment.” He recounted how a friend’s father had physically braced the synagogue doors from the inside, preventing the attacker from entering.
Morning prayers, known as Shacharis, had commenced at 9 AM, and scores of worshippers were inside the synagogue, according to police. Yom Kippur is a solemn day of fasting and prayer, requiring congregants to observe a 25-hour period of spiritual reflection.
Floral tributes left near the synagogue. “It’s a crazy moment,” one resident said.
“As we got nearer,” Hamer recounted in an interview, “we realized there was a guy dead on the floor and there was another guy fighting for his life in front of the car.” He captured the scene on video, which his daughter later shared online.
The circulated images showed two armed police officers with their rifles trained on the attacker, who lay prone on the ground outside the synagogue, near a severely injured victim. One officer was heard shouting to people near the synagogue gates to retreat, warning: “He has a bomb! Go away!” Shortly thereafter, the attacker appeared to try and rise, prompting police to fire at least one shot, causing him to fall back to the ground.
Condemnations of the day’s horrific violence poured in from across Britain’s political spectrum and from leaders worldwide.
Kemi Badenoch, leader of Britain’s opposition Conservative Party, posted on social media that people were “murdered simply for being Jews.” She reflected on the timing of the attack on Yom Kippur, a day when Jews “ask themselves — where have we gone wrong in the past, and what do we need to do to be better in the future.”
Badenoch added, “These are questions we urgently need to ask ourselves as a nation.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel described the attack as “barbaric,” expressing that his nation “grieves with the Jewish community in the U.K.”
The U.S. ambassador to Britain, Warren Stephens, called the incident “sickening” and a “stark reminder of the rise of antisemitism and religious intolerance in our societies.”
Speaking from Downing Street, Prime Minister Starmer addressed the Jewish community directly: “To every Jewish person in this country, I also want to say this: I know how much fear you will be holding inside of you.”
He concluded by saying, “Britain will come together to wrap our arms around your community and show you that Britain is a place where you and your family are safe, secure and belong.”