British officials have named the suspect in a car and knife attack outside a synagogue in Manchester as Jihad al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent.
Two men from the Jewish community have died and three other people remain in hospital with serious injuries following the attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
At around 9:30am, local time, a man drove a car into a crowd near the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester. Police say the man driving then got out of the car and began stabbing worshippers.
The suspect of the attack, al-Shamie was shot dead by armed officers, and police have said there are three other suspects in custody, including two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s, who were arrested “on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism”.
Police have declared it a terrorist incident and an investigation into the motivation behind the attack is underway.
A bomb disposal unit was deployed to the area after “suspicious items” were spotted around al-Shamie’s waist, but police later confirmed the device was ‘non-viable’.
In response to the incident, Britain’s Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer returned to London early from a summit in Denmark.
At an emergency meeting on Thursday afternoon, Starmer made a statement acknowledging that antisemitic “hatred” had been rising around the country “once again”. Starmer also said he would do his best to “guarantee” Jews in Britain “the security” that they deserve.
Police in the UK have increased their presence at synagogues after Thursday’s attack.
The leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig said the people of Manchester are horrified at the incident.
“We know this will leave a deep mark on our community here in Manchester as Jewish people were attacked on their holiest day as they went to worship”, Craid said, adding that Manchester “will come together in declaring that hate has no place in our city”.
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar said his country will “demand” action against “rampant” antisemitism in the UK after Thursday’s attack.
“The authorities in Britain have failed to take the necessary action to curb this toxic wave of anti-Semitism and have effectively allowed it to persist,” Sa-ar wrote on social media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyu commented on the attack, saying Israel grieves with the UK’s Jewish community.
“As I warned at the UN: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism,” Netanyahu said, referring to his UN General Assembly address in New York last week.
Relations between Israel and the UK have been tense after Britain’s decision to recognise the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly last month, alongside more than 150 countries, including Australia.
Two weeks ago, the United Nations commission of inquiry officially recognised that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.