LONDON (AP) — Two people were killed and at least three were hurt in an attack on Thursday at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester in northwest England on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year.
The attacker, who was wearing what appeared to be an explosives vest, was shot dead by police, who later called his actions a terrorist attack.
Here’s what to know:
7-minute attack
— At 9:31 a.m., police were called to the synagogue in the Manchester suburb of Crumpsall, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of London, by a member of the public, who said he had seen a car being driven toward people, and that one man had been stabbed.
— At 9:34 a.m., police were on site. Worshippers had barricaded themselves inside the synagogue to prevent the assailant from getting inside.
— At 9:37 a.m., police declared the national code word — Plato — for first responders when concluding that a “marauding terror attack” is taking place.
—- At 9:38 a.m., the assailant had been shot dead by police. The bomb belt was later found to be fake.
The victims
Greater Manchester Police said two people died during the attack: Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both members of the local Jewish community.
On Friday, police said in the wake of a forensic investigation that one of the casualties appears to have been accidentally shot by a police officer as worshippers tried to stop the attacker entering the building synagogue. The identity was not revealed.
Police also said that one of the three other people who were hospitalized, also suffered a gunshot wound. One of the others sustained a stab wound while the second was struck by the car driven by the attacker.
Police praised the “quick response” of the witness as well as the bravery of security guards and worshippers for preventing the suspect from entering the synagogue.
The suspect
Police said the man responsible for the attack was Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent who came to the U.K. as a young child and became a citizen in 2006.
Authorities said he was not previously known to police or the security services. Al-Shamie translates into English as “the Syrian” and authorities are unsure whether that is his birth name.
A statement on Facebook from the attacker’s family condemned the “heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians. “Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort,” the statement said.
Three other people — two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s — have been arrested on suspicion of preparing or committing acts of terrorism. They are in custody but have not been charged.
Act of terrorism
Around six hours after the incident, the Metropolitan Police in London, which leads counterterror policing operations across the U.K., confirmed that the incident is being treated as a terrorist attack. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said police forces across the country are stepping up patrols at synagogues and other Jewish sites “to provide reassurance to all those communities who have been affected by this incident.”
Police said they are still working to determine the motive behind the attack. But it took place on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. Synagogues are filled with people on the holy day.
Government response
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer returned early from a summit of European leaders in Copenhagen, Denmark, to London where he chaired an emergency security meeting. Afterward, he promised to do all he can to guarantee the security of the Jewish population, “starting with a more visible police presence.”
On Friday, Starmer visited the scene of the attack with his wife Victoria, and said “this was a dreadful attack, a terrorist attack to inflict fear. Attacking Jews because they are Jews."
Jewish community’s reaction
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the attack was “the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come,” and urged authorities to stem a rising tide of antisemitism in Britain. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it.”
King’s shock
King Charles III said he and his wife, Queen Camilla, were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”
Politicians from across the political spectrum also condemned the attack, as did Muslim, Christian and other religious leaders.
Rising antisemitism
The U.K. has traditionally been a safe country for Jewish people though antisemitic incidents in the U.K. have risen following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, the head of Orthodox Judaism in Britain, said the attack was the result of “an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred” on the streets and online.
Starmer acknowledged that antisemitism is “a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again.”
