What you need to know:
Two fatalities in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester, also four wounded.
The suspect was shot by the police and died on the spot.
There was a possible bomb belt, but it turned out not to be usable.
The police confirm that the incident is dealt with as a terrorist act.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced extra police protection for synagogues: “We will do everything we can to protect the Jewish community in our country.”
Thursday is Jom Kipur, the most important and holiest day of the year in Judaism.
The police were called around 9.30 am local time (10.30 am Dutch time) to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. That is a synagogue in Chumpsall, a few kilometers north of the center of Manchester, where a prayer service was busy.
A car had been run into there on civilians and someone had stabbed a witness had reported by telephone. In the first instance there was four injured people, including a security guard. Later came the news that two victims had died. In addition, there are four more injuries in the hospital.
The perpetrator was shot by the police barely seven minutes after the phone call and therefore died. That confirmation did not come until hours later, because the man might wore explosives on his body and no one was allowed to come close. The explosives clearance service arrived on the spot to investigate the danger. According to present British media, a controlled explosion could be heard. The police later confirmed that the ‘bomb belt’ that the man had was ‘not usable’.
Famous military analyst Andrew Fox saw the ‘unprecedented destruction’ in Gaza and has a painful message for Israel: ‘Hamas understands this’
The police announced on Thursday evening that the suspect is 35-year-old Jihad Al Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent.
Video images of bloody people on the ground and panicky bystanders quickly circulated on social media. “Stay inside,” a police officer calls towards visitors to the synagogue. “Go back, he has a bomb,” can also be heard. On one of the images, the perpetrator seems to wear white packages around his waist.
Witness Gareth saw the suspect up close. He initially thought that it was a usual collision and that he was therefore stuck in traffic at the crime scene. But when he got closer, he saw a man “bleeding on the floor.” He also saw that the suspect did not listen to the police. “And so they opened the fire.”
VIDEO: Panic in Manchester after deposits on Synagogue: “He has a bomb!”
Other witnesses are also shocked. A local scaffolding builder tells the BBC that there was a lot of commotion. “It was an outright chaos.” Normally, as the witness is called, Mark is a “silent and calm” man, but this incident has made him “quite delivered”.
Local community in Shock: ‘Leave us alone’
People from the neighborhood of the synagogue state that they live in a quiet community. “It’s just horrible,” says a local resident. “Just leave us alone. We don’t want all this.”
At a press conference, the police officially confirmed later in the evening that the incident will be dealt with as a terrorist act.
The attack took place during Jom Kipoer, the holiest day on the Jewish religious calendar. Many Jews around the world visit a synagogue on this day.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he is “shocked” by the attack. “The fact that this took place on Jom Kipoer makes it all the more horrible. My thoughts are among the relatives of all affected people. My thanks go to the emergency services and all first aid providers.”
Starmer was in Copenhagen for a top of the European Union, but flew back to the United Kingdom for emergency consultation on the attack. The Prime Minister announced just before departure from Denmark that “extra police units” will be used for synagogues throughout the country.
King Charles and Queen Camilla ‘Sadness’
King Charles and Queen Camilla are “deeply shocked and sad,” said the royal couple in a statement. “Especially on such an important day for the Jewish community. Our thoughts and prayers are for everyone who has been affected by this terrible incident and we are very grateful for the rapid action of the emergency services.”
In a reaction to X, the Israeli embassy in the United Kingdom calls it “disgusting and deeply disturbing that such a violent act can take place on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.” The embassy thanks the police for her rapid bet and says it will continue to follow the situation.