A man drove his car into worshippers and then attacked others with a knife outside a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur before being shot dead by police. Authorities are treating the assault as a terrorist act.
Thursday’s violence was one of the darkest moments the city has faced in recent years. Andy Burnham, Manchester’s mayor, was among the first officials to speak publicly. Appearing on BBC Radio Manchester, he confirmed a “serious incident” had taken place and tried to reassure residents that the immediate danger had passed.
Within minutes, police revealed that the attacker had struck pedestrians with his vehicle and then turned to stabbing those outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation. Armed officers confronted him and fatally shot him.
Burnham — a Labour figure who has recently clashed with Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the party’s direction — now finds himself united with the national leader in grief and solidarity. Just days earlier, Burnham had called for bolder government policies as Reform UK surged in opinion polls.
The attack, which killed two people and left at least four seriously injured, may temporarily silence political disputes as leaders focus on mourning the victims, supporting the Jewish community, and understanding what went wrong.
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Both Burnham and Starmer swiftly condemned the attack. Burnham wrote online that he stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Manchester’s Jewish residents and pledged that every resource would be used to keep them safe. Starmer cut short his trip to a European summit in Denmark to return to London, where he chaired an emergency meeting before addressing the country from Downing Street.
“To every Jewish person in Britain, I know how much fear you are carrying inside you,” the prime minister said. “Britain will come together to hold your community close and show you that this is a country where you and your families are safe and belong.”
Political leaders across the spectrum echoed his words. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK’s Nigel Farage both issued statements condemning the violence, calling it sickening and inexcusable.
Condemnation also poured in from abroad. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the assault as “barbaric,” while opposition leader Yair Lapid urged governments worldwide to act decisively against antisemitism. The UN’s human rights chief, Volker Turk, said crimes targeting religious communities “strike at the core of our humanity.”
The U.S. ambassador to Britain, Warren Stephens, called the attack a reminder of “the rise of antisemitism and religious intolerance in our societies.” Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, went further, criticizing British authorities for past failures to curb antisemitic threats.
Back home, the government ordered extra police patrols at synagogues and Jewish institutions across the UK. Starmer stressed that the attack had targeted Jews “because they are Jews” but also sought to strike at Britain’s values.
In Manchester, fear spread quickly through the community. “It feels like this place is no longer safe,” said Chen Bass, a young mother of two. Another resident, 18-year-old Osher Luftag, described how a friend’s father had braced the synagogue doors to stop the attacker from forcing his way inside. “It feels like the beginning of a new era,” he said, adding that Jewish families were questioning their safety in Britain.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was in constant contact with police and described the assault as “horrifying,” praising the emergency services who rushed to the scene.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed they received a call at 9:31 a.m. reporting a car ramming pedestrians and a stabbing. Officers confronted the attacker seven minutes later and fatally shot him.
