What we know about the synagogue attack in Manchester

A man has been shot by police after an attack at a synagogue left two dead in Manchester.

The attack, on the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar - Yom Kippur - involved a car and a knife, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

At least three other people have been seriously injured.

Here's everything we know so far.

How did the attack happen?

Police started receiving calls from members of the public at 9.31am on Thursday, saying a security guard at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall had been attacked with a knife.

They also said several others were attacked, with a car driven at members of the public.

The synagogue is on Middleton Road in Crumpsall - a neighbourhood about three miles north of Manchester's city centre.

The force said a "large number of people" were worshipping at the synagogue at the time of the attack.

A police spokesperson praised the "quick response" of a witness to the attack, which allowed police to take "swift action" to prevent the offender "from entering the synagogue".

Police shoot man at the scene

A man believed to be the offender was shot by firearms officers at the scene at 9.38am. GMP confirmed that the man died in an update this afternoon.

Video posted on social media appeared to show police officers pointing guns at someone lying on the ground outside the front of the synagogue. The armed officers shouted at onlookers to "get back" and "move on".

The person on the ground is seen starting to get up before there is the sound of a gunshot and they fall to the ground.

Another person was shown lying motionless on the ground outside the synagogue gates.

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A photograph circulating on social media appears to show the suspected attacker outside the synagogue.

Sky News has cross-referenced the image with video from the scene of the attack.

What do we know about the victims?

Police initially said four people were injured after the attack and were being treated for injuries "caused by both the vehicle and stab wounds".

They later confirmed two victims died at the scene, and said three other members of the public were in a serious condition.

What is happening now?

In the immediate aftermath, GMP declared "Plato" - the national code-word used by police and emergency services when responding to a "marauding terror attack".

Armed police officers, emergency response teams and fire crews remain at the scene, with police helicopters flying overhead.

A bomb disposal unit is also at the scene. Police said there were "suspicious items" on the suspect's person.

Middleton Road has been closed between Wilton Road and Crumpsall Lane, with a police cordon in place.

How have members of the community reacted?

Some members of the Jewish community in Crumpsall told Sky News they were "shocked" and "terrified" by what had happened at the synagogue.

"One man told me several of his friends and family were still inside - though he knows they are safe," Sky News' North of England correspondent Katie Barnfield said.

"Another said this is an extremely tolerant community, where people of many faiths, including Jews and Muslims, have lived side by side for years, and he is stunned by what has taken place."

Raphi Bloom, a member of the synagogue and director of Fed, a Jewish social care charity, told Sky News he was on the way to the synagogue this morning when he got a call from a friend to warn him about the attack.

He said the Jewish community had been "fearing" an attack such as this for two years, and that it had been facing a "tsunami of Jew hatred" since the war in Gaza began.

"I never thought it would happen at my synagogue, to my friends, to my rabbi, in my city," he said. "But it's something that we feared would come because there has been such an inaction to tackle this wave of hatred targeting the Jewish community in the UK."

The police have not yet commented on the attacker's motivations.

"Mancunian Jews have played a huge part in making our city the great city it is for 150 years," Mr Bloom added. "We're not going anywhere. We're proud Jews. We're going to stay here. But we need help, and we need this intolerance and this racism, and this Jew hatred stamped out by wider society without fail and immediately."

What has the national response been?

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was "appalled" and "absolutely shocked" by the attack.

He has flown home early from a meeting of European leaders in Denmark to chair an emergency COBRA meeting - the cabinet committee that handles matters of national emergency or major disruption.

"I'm already able to say that additional police assets are being deployed to synagogues across the country, and we will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe," he said.

The King has also responded to the attack, saying in a statement: "My wife and I have been deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services."

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was "horrified" by the attack in a post on social media.

"My first thoughts are with the victims, our brave police and emergency services," she wrote, adding that she was being constantly updated by Greater Manchester Police.

"I urge people to follow the advice of the emergency services."

(c) Sky News 2025: What we know about the synagogue attack in Manchester