At least two Jewish worshippers were killed and three others seriously 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.
On Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, two Jewish people were murdered and four seriously injured in an antisemitic terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester, UK, for the simple crime of being Jewish in a place of worship.
Jewish people around the world are no… pic.twitter.com/ZDAW5VJbH0— Rabbi Chanina Sperlin (@ChaninaSperlin) October 3, 2025
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 attack, 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 public at 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, died after he was shot 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.” Police later confirmed to CNN that the device “wasn’t viable,” adding that they couldn’t provide any further details.
The two men killed in the attack were Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both from Crumpsall, Greater Manchester Police said early Friday.
A formal identification is yet to take place, but their families have been informed, the force said. Post-mortems will be conducted later Friday morning.
Three other people remain in hospital with serious injuries, police said in a statement. One of the injured was stabbed, and another was struck by the car involved in the attack.
Police said a third man “later presented himself at hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker.”
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.
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.”
Two people have died and three are in a serious condition after a car drove into pedestrians and a man was stabbed near a synagogue in Manchester, UK.
Here’s what we know so far https://t.co/87Hv5YXqeI pic.twitter.com/0bRvYpAlz1
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 2, 2025
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.”
Predictably, this utter piece of scum WAS an Islamist terrorist.
Police name Jihad Al-Shamie as the man behind today’s synagogue terror attack.
He was a British citizen of Syrian descent.
ENOUGH! pic.twitter.com/OOBH9BuD9T— Dan Wootton (@danwootton) October 2, 2025
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 from a house, handcuffed by a police officer, while another handcuffed person is seen standing on the street.