Two people were killed and three others injured in a car-ramming and mass stabbing incident in Manchester, northwest England, on Thursday. The attack took place outside a synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the suspect was “believed to be dead” after being shot by armed officers.
Dramatic Shooting Caught on Video
Footage from outside a nearby building showed two armed officers aiming at the accused, who was crouching. After gunshots rang out, the man collapsed to the ground.
GMP later said on X, “A man believed to be the offender was shot by GMP Firearms Officers and is also believed to be deceased,” adding that confirmation was pending due to “suspicious items on his person.”
Explosives Probe and Emergency Response
A bomb disposal unit was deployed to investigate whether the suspect had explosives. Police also “declared Plato,” the national code word used in response to a “marauding terror attack.”
Reactions From Leaders
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the assault, calling it horrific, particularly because it occurred on Yom Kippur. He announced that additional police officers would be stationed at synagogues across the country.
“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” Starmer wrote on X.
King Charles III also expressed his grief, saying he was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the tragedy.
A City Scarred by Past Attacks
Manchester has previously endured some of Britain’s deadliest acts of terror. In 2017, a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert killed 22 people, marking one of the darkest chapters in the city’s recent history.