Attack

Authorities identified Jihad al-Shamie as the main attacker on a Manchester synagogue on Thursday, which killed two people and seriously injured four others during Yom Kippur services.

Context
Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, a time of fasting and prayer when synagogues see their largest gatherings of the year. The attack occurred at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Crumpsall, a northern Manchester neighborhood with a large Jewish community. The area sits about three to four miles from the city center.

Attack Details

Manchester police responded to reports at 9:31 AM that a man drove his car toward members of the public and stabbed a security guard outside a synagogue. The attack left two dead and four in serious condition. 

Authorities identified the attacker as 35-year-old Jihad al-Shamie, identified by counterterrorism police as a British citizen of Syrian descent who entered the UK in 2006.

Armed officers arrived within minutes, and just before shooting the attacker, one officer shouted to onlookers that the suspect had a bomb. The suspect died at the scene after officers fired when he attempted to stand up despite warnings. A bomb disposal unit responded after officers found suspicious items on the attacker’s body, though police later confirmed it was not a bomb.

Worshippers Evacuated

The attacker did not gain entry to the synagogue, where morning prayers had begun at 9 AM. While police secured the area, a large number of worshippers inside were held in place and later safely evacuated. Witnesses reported seeing the attacker trying to break through windows with a knife before police arrived. Counterterrorism officials declared the incident a terrorist attack on Thursday afternoon.

National Response

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack “appalling” and cut short a trip to Denmark to chair an emergency government meeting. He announced that additional police would be deployed at synagogues across Britain. Three additional arrests – two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s – were made in connection with the attack. The assault follows a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in the UK following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. The UK’s Israeli embassy said it was “in close contact” with Manchester’s Jewish community, including Jewish charities.