The Associated Press
An attack that killed two worshippers outside a British synagogue has prompted global condemnation and raised concerns about growing antisemitism in the country.
The attack came Thursday morning just as worshippers gathered at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Police have called it a terrorist incident and said that a man drove a car into a crowd of people standing outside the synagogue. The driver, dressed all in black, got out of the car carrying a knife and began stabbing people. He was wearing a vest that looked like it was lined with explosives.
According to police reports, the attacker tried to make his way inside, but was blocked by a security guard and a group of worshippers. Armed police arrived within seven minutes and shot the man dead. The bomb squad was called in and determined that the vest did not contain viable explosives.
Two men who were among the worshippers died and three other men remain in hospital with serious injuries. Police said one sustained a stab wound and a second was struck by the car involved in the attack. The third man’s injury may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker, police said.
Explainer: What we know so far about the U.K. synagogue attack
In a statement late Thursday, Greater Manchester Police said they believe that the man who carried out the attack was 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie. He is a British citizen of Syrian descent who came to Britain as a young child and was granted citizenship in 2006. They added that his name had not appeared in any records related to counterterrorism programs.
In addition, the GMP said two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.
On Friday Greater Manchester Police released the identity of the men killed: 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz.
They both lived in the city’s Crumpsall neighbourhood, which is close to the synagogue.
“My deepest sympathies are with Mr. Daulby and Mr. Cravitz’s loved ones at this extremely hard time,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Lewis Hughes who is co-ordinating the casualty response.
In an address from Downing Street, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Jewish buildings, synagogues and schools require constant protection “because of the daily threat of antisemitic hatred.”
Thursday’s “horrific incident shows why. And while this is not a new hate, this is something Jews have always lived with, we must be clear, it is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again,” he said.
He added that “a vile individual committed a terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews, and attacked Britain because of our values.”
Hatred toward Jews has increased sharply in Britain since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages. Israel’s military action in Gaza has since killed tens of thousands of people and led to global outrage.
Hate crimes targeting Jews in Britain have risen sharply since the Hamas attack. According to figures from the Home Office, the number of reported hate crimes aimed at Jews more than doubled last year to 3,282.
That was second to the number of offences committed against Muslims – 3,866 – but Jews were proportionally targeted more frequently. For every 10,000 people, there were 121 hate offences against Jews and 10 against Muslims, the figures show.
From left: Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for the Home Department Shabana Mahmood and Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson visit the scene on Thursday.Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
London and several other cities across Britain have also seen regular pro-Palestinian marches that have attracted thousands of people. On Thursday night, hundreds of people waved Palestinian flags outside Downing Street and a previously scheduled march went ahead in Manchester.
There has been criticism that the marches incite antisemitism, and the British government has banned one group, Palestine Action. Organizers of the marches insist they are protesting against the Israeli government’s actions and highlighting the plight of the people in Gaza.
Thursday’s attack drew widespread revulsion from leaders around the world and sharp criticism from Israel.
“Our hearts are with the families of the murdered, and we pray for the swift recovery of the wounded,” said a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “As I warned at the UN: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism.”
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 2: Members of the public and congregants seen as Police and other emergency responders attend the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, where multiple were injured after stabbing and car attack on Yom Kippur, on October 2, 2025 in the Crumpsall suburb of Manchester, England. Greater Manchester Police said they were called to the scene shortly after 9:30 AM, when a witness said the assailant drove a car at people and then stabbed someone. Police then shot the suspected attacker. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Israel’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, went further and blamed British officials for failing to curb “blatant and rampant antisemitic and anti-Israeli incitement.”
“The authorities in Britain have failed to take the necessary action to curb this toxic wave of antisemitism and have effectively allowed it to persist,” he said. “We expect more than words from the Starmer government. We expect and demand a change of course, effective action, and enforcement.”
The president of the Conference of European Rabbis, Pinchas Goldschmidt, also said more needed to be done “to stamp out murderous ideologies.”
“Governments from the world over should spare us the statements about fighting antisemitism and instead ensure Jews are safe,” he added in a statement.
Prime Minister Mark Carney called the attack “an appalling antisemitic atrocity.”
“Hate must be confronted in all of its forms and with all available tools. We will always protect the inalienable rights of Jewish communities to live their lives free from intimidation and threats of violence,” he said in a post on X.
French President Emmanuel Macron said his country stood “alongside the families struck by an antisemitic terrorist.”
“On this day of Yom Kippur, we reaffirm with determination: the fight against antisemitism is ours, and we will wage it without respite,” he said on X.
Rabbi Jonathan Romain, of Britain’s Maidenhead Synagogue, told the Press Association that the attack was “every rabbi’s or every Jewish person’s worst nightmare.”
He also connected it to rising tensions in Britain over the war in Gaza.
“The real tragedy is, of course, that the war in Gaza, which is tragic in itself, has sort of spilled over into the United Kingdom,” he said, adding: “For the last two years, we were desperately trying to make sure that whatever was going on in the Middle East was not imported here. This has shown that our worst fears have been realized.”