ENGLAND -- At least two Jewish worshippers were killed and several others injured in a car ramming and stabbing attack outside a synagogue in the English city of Manchester on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who flew back early to the UK from Denmark to chair an emergency meeting, condemned the attack and warned that hatred “is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again.”

He used his address to reassure Britain’s Jewish community and vowed to do “everything” in his power to guarantee their security, starting with “a more visible police presence protecting your community.”

UK authorities announced heightened security measures at synagogues across the country after police declared a terrorist incident – against the backdrop of rising antisemitism and other forms of religious hatred worldwide following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks and Israel’s war in Gaza.

Here’s what we know about the suspect, the violence, and what may come next.

What happened

Armed officers swiftly arrived at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Manchester suburb of Crumpsall, after receiving a call from a member of the publicat 9:31 a.m local time (4:31 a.m. ET) on Thursday, the city’s police said.

A car had been driven at members of the public and a member of the security detail outside the synagogue had been stabbed, according to a statement from Greater Manchester Police. The suspected assailant, identified by police as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, also died after he was shot down by firearms officers.

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said the attacker was wearing a vest “which had the appearance of an explosive device.” Greater Manchester Police later confirmed to CNN that the device “wasn’t viable,” adding that they couldn’t provide any further details.

Video circulating on social media and geolocated by CNN appeared to show armed police officers shouting instructions at bystanders and worshippers inside the synagogue while pointing their weapons at a person lying on the ground.

Police launched an investigation anddeclared a “terrorist incident,” the head of UK counter terrorism policing, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.

Greater Manchester Police had declared PLATO – a national code word used when police deploy armed officers across the force to the scene of an attack, CNN understands.

Photos emerged of rescue crews dressed in high-visibility vests, shocked worshippers and faith leaders embracing one another near the synagogue. Eyewitnesses and local residents recalled scenes of helicopters circling overheadas emergency responders rushed to the site.

“It’s just horrendous,” Olivia Gold, who lives by the synagogue, told PA Media news agency. “We’re a quiet community, just leave us alone. We don’t want any of this.”

Who is the suspect?

UK counter-terrorism police named the suspect as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, although they said “formal identification is yet to take place.”

Police said that Al-Shamie had not been referred to the UK Home Office’s Prevent program, according to the information currently available. The program is a central plank of Britain’s strategy to combat terrorism.

Alongside Al-Shamie, police said that three other suspects – two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s – are in custody and have been arrested “on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.”

Video obtained by CNN shows police arresting two men less than a quarter of a mile from the synagogue.

In the video, several police vehicles can be seen parked along a quiet residential street in the northern English city. One individual is escorted out of a house, handcuffed by a police officer, whilst another handcuffed person is seen standing on the street.

Why is the timing significant?

The attack in Manchester fell on Yom Kippur,the Day of Atonement– when synagogues are particularly packed out and congregants come together to perform long services, asking for forgiveness from God and others.

Worshippers observe the occasion by abstaining from food and drink. They do not bathe, do not wear leather shoes or gold jewelry and do not engage in spousal intimacy.

Worshippers in Crumpsall were due to gather on Thursday for a Shacharis, a morning prayer service, at 9 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) at Heaton Park Synagogue. In total, organizers at the synagogue had scheduled seven events, including a children’s service at 12:15 p.m. local time.

European politicians condemned the timing of the attack, warning against an increasingly fraught climate of antisemitism in Britain and beyond over the past two years.

More than 3,500 episodes of anti-Jewish sentiment took place in 2024, and over 4,000 were recorded the year prior, according to the Community Security Trust, a non-profit that aims to protect British Jewish people from terrorism and antisemitism.

Between January and July of 2025, the charity recorded more than 1,500 antisemitic incidents, the second-highest total ever reported in the first six months of any year.

How did lawmakers and faith leaders respond?

UK politicians, mayors and leaders from right, center and left-wing parties shared condolences after the attack. Others announced additional police assets outside synagogues – including in the British capital, London.

Starmer said the Manchester synagogue attacker targeted “Jews because they are Jews,” adding that the UK must defeat this rising hatred.

“Today, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day for the Jewish community, a vile individual committed a terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews, and attack Britain because of our values,” the prime minister told a press conference.

“While this is not a new hate, this is something Jews have always lived with, we must be clear, it is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again,” he added.

Two prominent Jewish organizations in the UK said the attack was “sadly something we feared was coming” due to rising antisemitism in the country.

“We call on all those in positions of power and influence to take the required action to combat hatred against Jewish people, and will be working with the authorities on a series of additional measures to protect our community over the coming days,” a joint statement from the Jewish Leadership Council and Board of Deputies of British Jews said.

Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch condemned the “vile and disgusting” attack. “I know many in our Jewish community will feel shaken. They deserve to know they are not alone,” the Conservative Party MP said in a post on X.

The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, spoke of the “fear” among local residents. “Obviously what we would all want to recognize is how people in our Jewish community will be feeling right now,” he told BBC Radio Manchester.

London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, also denounced the “violent” attack, in a post on X. “My thoughts are with all those affected on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur,” he said. “London stands ready to help in any way we can.”

Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla were “deeply shocked and saddened” by the synagogue attack. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services,” the king said in a statement.

The Muslim Council of Britain, which advocates for several UK mosques and Muslim organizations, “unequivocally” condemned the “act of violence.”

CNN reached out to Britain’s chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, for comment.

Starmer arrived in London late afternoon local time on Thursday, to hold a summit led by the UK government’s COBRA committee – a cross-departmental group convened in situations of national emergency – PA Media news agency reported.

Acts of mass violence are rare in Britain.

However, former prime ministers have chaired similar meetings in the past, after particularly deadly atrocities – including the Westminster Bridge terror attack in 2017, the Manchester Arena terror attack several months later, and the London Bridge terror attack in 2019.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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