At least two people were killed and three others seriously injured outside a synagogue in Manchester when an attacker drove his car into pedestrians and stabbed a man, CNN reported.
The incident occurred outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Crumpsall during Yom Kippur, the most significant holiday in Judaism, which typically draws large crowds near synagogues. Police officers who happened to be nearby intervened immediately, neutralizing the suspect at the scene.
After the attack, British authorities put police on alert for major armed incidents and placed nearby hospitals on lockdown as a precaution.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack, calling it «horrific» as it was committed on a day so important for the Jewish people. He announced additional police patrols at synagogues nationwide and urgently left a European security summit in Denmark to chair an emergency committee meeting in London.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham expressed solidarity with the city’s Jewish community and urged residents to avoid the area.
