Synagogue Attack on Yom Kippur in Manchester, UK: What We Know

Europe|What We Know About the Attack on a U.K. Synagogue

At least two people were killed after a vehicle ramming and stabbing attack outside a synagogue in Manchester, England, on Thursday morning. A suspect is believed to be dead, the authorities said.

The attack occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, while congregants were gathered inside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue.

Here’s what we know:

What happened and where?

Greater Manchester Police said they received a call at 9:31 a.m. on Thursday morning reporting that a car had been driven toward members of the public, and that several people had been stabbed.

Two people were killed in the attack, and the assailant was also believed to be dead, the police said. Others were injured, including three who were in serious condition on Thursday afternoon.

The attack occurred outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in northern Manchester, around the time that the congregation was scheduled to be having services on Yom Kippur. The police said a large number of people were inside the synagogue during the attack, but that they had been safely evacuated.

What do we know about the suspect?

Police have not announced the identity of the suspect or their motives. They said they believed the attacker was dead, but that his condition had not yet been confirmed “due to safety issues surround suspicious items on his person.”

A bomb disposal unit was called to the scene.

Footage taken by a witness and verified by The New York Times earlier on Thursday showed two armed police officers with their rifles aimed at the suspected attacker, who was on the ground outside the synagogue, as an injured person lay nearby. In the video, which was posted to Facebook, one of the officers told people at the synagogue gates to move back, shouting: “He has a bomb, go away.”

Moments later, the person on the ground appeared to be trying to get up, and the police fired at least one shot. The man fell back to the ground.

Was it a terror attack?

Police have not yet confirmed whether the incident is being treated as potential terrorism.

Greater Manchester Police said in a statement that they had declared “Plato” shortly after being called to the scene, which is a reference to Operation Plato, a set of protocols for armed police officers and emergency services when responding to major incidents, including “marauding terrorist attacks.”

But the decision to formally declare whether a terror attack has taken place lies with Britain’s Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing. They look at the information immediately available after an attack to decide whether it meets Britain’s legal definition of terrorism, which covers violence “for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause.”

The process can involve analyzing evidence including witness accounts, suspects’ electronic devices and information about their personal background to determine whether they had ideological motivation or if the attack was driven by other factors.