Manchester, England, was left reeling on Thursday after a devastating attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue killing two individuals and injured dozens others. Worshippers had come to remember Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, when violence broke out.
Chaos at a Place of Worship
According to Greater Manchester Police, the suspect, identified as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, drove into pedestrians before stabbing a security guard outside the Crumpsall synagogue. Armed officers responded quickly, shooting the man down on the scene after he was spotted carrying what seemed to be a suicide vest. A bomb disposal squad later confirmed that the device was not functional.
Eyewitnesses recounted scenes of fear. “The second he got out of the car, he started stabbing anyone near him,” recalled neighbor Chava Lewin. Another resident, Angela Crawshaw, recalled cops shouting bomb warnings before opening fire. “When he tried to rise up and move again, they shot him again. “And then it was all panic,” she told reporters.
Declared a Terrorist Incident
Laurence Taylor, Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, said that the attack was being investigated as a terrorist act. Police also arrested two men in their thirties and a lady in her sixties on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks. So far, authorities have found no evidence of Al-Shamie being sent to the government’s Prevent program.
Three others are still in serious condition at the hospital. Police said the quick efforts of security personnel and congregants inside the synagogue helped prevent a worse disaster.
Rising Fears of Antisemitism
The attack comes at a crucial moment for Jewish communities in Britain and around Europe. Antisemitism in the UK reached near-record levels in 2024, with more than 3,500 occurrences documented by the Community Security Trust. Jewish groups described Thursday’s violence as “sadly something we feared was coming.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called off a European summit to chair an emergency meeting in London, vowing more security for synagogues. “We must be clear: it is hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again,” added Starmer. “To every Jewish person in this country, I also want to say this: I know how much fear you will be holding inside of you.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, however, accused Britain of failing to tackle antisemitism, saying authorities had “effectively allowed it to persist.”
A Nation in Mourning
King Charles was “deeply shocked and saddened,” while French President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with Britain’s Jewish community. Following the incident in Manchester, police led attendees, many of whom were elderly and visibly terrified, away from the synagogue. Some were in tears and still wore white Yom Kippur robes.
Chief Constable Stephen Watson thanked people inside the synagogue for their bravery and the officers’ rapid response. But for a city already haunted by the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, the incident brought back awful memories of previous terror.
As investigations continue, Britain is under renewed pressure to address rising antisemitism and the ongoing threat of extremist violence.
