A suspect has been shot by firearms officers in Manchester after two people were killed in a stabbing and car ramming incident at a synagogue.
Three further members of the public have been injured in the incident and “remain in a serious condition,” according to the police.
Officers were called to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Middleton Road at 9.31am by a member of the public who stated he had observed a car being driven towards members of the public and that a man had been stabbed.
#UPDATE | Greater Manchester Police can confirm two people have died following the major incident outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, Middleton Road, Crumpsall.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) October 2, 2025
Greater Manchester Police said that the suspect’s death “cannot currently be confirmed due to safety issues surround[ing] suspicious items on his person.”
Today marks Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar and focuses on atonement and repentance, involving a 25-hour fast for members of the Jewish community.
The police declared PLATO and a major incident at 9.37am. Operation Plato is the term used by emergency services when responding to a “marauding terrorist attack.”
At 9.38am, shots were fired by Greater Manchester Police firearms officers, and the suspect was shot.
Paramedics were called and arrived at the scene at 9.41am.
Paramedics arrived at the scene at 9.41 and are tending to members of the public, currently four members of the public with injuries caused by both the vehicle and stab wounds.
Members of the public are asked to avoid the area while the police continue to deal with the incident.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) October 2, 2025
At 11:19am, Sky News reported that a Bomb Disposal lorry has been seen at the scene of the incident, with Greater Manchester Police since confirming this.
Jewish congregants hid inside the synagogue following the attack in Crumpsall, according to The Telegraph with one man telling reporters that his wife and daughter was with those in the building.
Another woman told the Guardian that she felt “sick” following the attack, having not been able to make contact with her husband, who was at the synagogue during the incident.
“We’re just waiting for news,” she said. “I’ve not even got dressed yet, I just ran out in my pyjamas.”
“We’re distraught” her son added.
Police confirmed that those who were held inside of the synagogue during the incident for their safety have now been evacuated.
An eyewitness who spoke to BBC Radio Manchester said that he observed a man with a knife stabbing the window of the synagogue, attempting to get into the building.
A delivery driver who gave his name as Gareth told the radio station that he was “driving up the road, doing our normal deliveries.
“Next minute,” he said, “we were held back in a little bit of traffic, and we could see a car had crashed. So we just thought it were a normal collision.
“We got a big closer. We seen a guy bleeding on the floor.
“And then there was a few people stood in the road. Somebody shouted something in the school or the synagogue, or what [ever] it was.
“And then, as we looked over, the guy had a knife, and he was just stabbing the window trying to get in the [synagogue].
“And then within seconds the police arrived. They gave him a couple of warnings.”
Police asked members of the public to avoid the area whilst the incident is being dealt with.
Sir Keir Starmer has responded to the incident, saying he is “appalled” by the attack.
“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holist day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” he added.
“My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders.”
I’m appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall.
The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.
My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency…
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 2, 2025
Starmer is currently in Copenhagen for a meeting with the EU. He will soon fly back to the UK to chair an emergency COBRA meeting in the wake of the incident, and he has said that he will deploy “additional police assets” to synagogues across the country.
“We will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe,” he added in a statement delivered from the tarmac of Copenhagen Airport.
COBRA is the UK’s emergency crisis committee that responds to major national emergencies.
Andy Burnham told BBC Radio Manchester that it appears as though the incident is “contained, although, obviously, the scene is very much an active scene.”
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has made a statement saying she is “horrified” following news of the incident.
“My first thoughts are with the victims, our brave police and emergency services,” she added, before urging citizens to “follow the advice of emergency services” which is currently to avoid the area of the incident.
Featured image via Unsplash
