ISLAMABAD: Police said on Thursday that the suspect in the deadly attack outside a synagogue in Manchester in northern England was believed to be Jihad al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, Reuters reported.
"We believe the person responsible for today's attacks is 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie," Greater Manchester Police said late on Thursday. "He is a British citizen of Syrian descent."
The attacker ploughed a car into a crowd outside a packed synagogue in Britain on a Jewish holiday, before going on a stabbing spree, killing two people and leaving four wounded, police said, according to AFP.
Police said they shot dead the suspect and arrested three other people within hours of the attack in the city of Manchester, which took place as Jewish communities around the world marked Yom Kippur, the holiest holiday in the Jewish calendar.
‘Terrorist incident’
The two dead victims were Jewish, police in the northwest English city confirmed, as counter-terror police declared it a "terrorist incident".
Four other people were seriously wounded.
The three people arrested were "two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s", who were in custody "on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism", said Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
‘Not functional’ vest
The attacker wore a "vest which had the appearance of an explosive device", but police revealed later that evening it was not functional.
As night fell, Orthodox Jewish worshippers emerged from packed synagogues in Manchester after a day of prayers and fasting to learn about the attack, having switched off phones and computers for the day.
Aryeh Ehrentreu, 56, who spent the day praying in a synagogue minutes away, said he had heard the ambulances arriving.
"Then the security asked us to close all our doors in the synagogue, so we knew the attack took place," Ehrentreu told AFP, calling the attack "extremely worrying."
Security beefed up
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who left a European summit in Denmark early to chair an emergency response meeting in London, announced security was being boosted at UK synagogues.
Addressing Jewish communities directly in a televised statement shortly after the meeting, he vowed to "do everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve."
He said while antisemitism was not new, "We must be clear it is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again".
According to a post on X, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated: "The government has stepped up security at synagogues across the whole of the country, and we will do whatever is required to keep our Jewish community safe."
‘Serious injuries’
GMP said it was alerted shortly after 9:30 am (0830 GMT) that a car had driven into people outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue and a security guard had been attacked with a knife.
Chief constable Stephen Watson confirmed later that "two members of our Jewish community have sadly died", adding officers had shot dead the attacker within seven minutes of the first emergency call, AFP reported.
Four other people remained in hospital with "serious injuries", he said.
Swift action
"The driver of the car was seen then to attack people with a knife" while wearing a fake explosives vest.
Police praised the swift action of people who reported the attack, saying it had stopped the suspect from entering the synagogue.
A witness told BBC Radio he saw police shooting a man after a car crash.
"They gave him a couple of warnings, but he didn't listen until they opened fire," the witness said.
‘Shocked and saddened’
King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were "deeply shocked and saddened".
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was among the world leaders to condemn the attack.
"Houses of worship are sacred places where people can go to find peace," Guterres said.
"Targeting a synagogue on Yom Kippur is particularly heinous."
Jewish community in the UK
Manchester, renowned for its two Premier League football clubs and its industrial heritage, is home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the UK.
It totaled more than 28,000 in 2021, according to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research.
