Two Jewish people have died in a car ramming and stabbing attack at a synagogue in Manchester.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/idrinstitute.png")
The attack came on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar, and is being treated by police as a terror incident.
Police said they believe the attacker, who was shot dead at the scene, was Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent.
Three people remain in hospital with serious injuries. Here is what we know so far about the attack.
Police responded to reports of a car driving towards members of the public and a man stabbed at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue at 09:31 BST on Thursday.
Officers quickly declared a major incident and arrived at the scene in north Manchester within seven minutes, shooting dead the suspect at 09:38.
A large number of people were worshipping at the synagogue at the time, and were held inside while the surrounding area was made safe.
Worshippers and security staff demonstrated “immediate bravery” and helped stop the attacker from entering the building, Greater Manchester Police said.
Shah, a local resident, said she was driving past the synagogue when she saw a vehicle “just sort of rushing past and driving straight for the members of the public”.
She then saw a man “jump out” and start running towards the people, she said, calling the scene “traumatising” .
“The man was just running out with a knife and he just started going on a bit of a rampage. It’s quite terrifying to be completely honest.”
Gareth Tonge, another eyewitness who was driving his delivery van near the scene, told the BBC he saw a man “bleeding out on the floor”.
Mr Tonge added: “Within seconds, the police arrived, they gave him a couple of warnings, he didn’t listen so they opened fire,” he explained, saying the man holding the knife then went down on the floor.
The man then “started getting back up and they [the police] shot him again”, Mr Tonge added – describing it as “nerve-racking” to witness.
Police said they declared “Plato” moments after hearing about the incident – a set of responses by the emergency services to large-scale incidents including “marauding terrorist attacks”.
An SAS helicopter, dubbed “Blue Thunder”, was seen flying above the area later. The aircraft, and the troops it carries, are part of a national airborne counter terrorism response.
The area was cordoned off as fire and ambulance staff rushed to the scene, as members of the Jewish community and the wider public gathered nearby.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told the BBC that at about 10:30 the “immediate danger appear[ed] to be over,” but urged the public to avoid the area as the police response continued.
Police confirmed just after 15:15 that two Jewish people had been killed, while four others remained in hospital where they were being treated for a variety of serious injuries.
In a later update, police revised the number of injured to three.
One has a stab wound, a second was struck by the car involved in the attack, and a third “later presented himself at hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker”, police said. Their identities have not been made public.
The head of national counter-terror policing told a separate press conference at New Scotland Yard that the attack had been declared a terrorist incident.
The prime minister condemned the “horrific” attack on the Jewish holy day and left a political summit in Denmark early in response to the incident.
He chaired a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee in London later on Thursday.
Police said they believe the suspect is Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent.
It is understood he entered the UK as a very young child, and was granted British citizenship in 2006 as a minor.
GMP chief Sir Stephen Watson said the suspect was wearing “a vest which had the appearance of an explosive device” – but the force later confirmed it was not viable.
The suspect’s name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service counter-terrorism records, and he is not thought to have been under current investigation, according to the PA news agency.
Further checks are underway to see if he appears anywhere in records of other investigations, PA said.
Greater Manchester Police say three other suspects have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. They are two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s.
A timely new publication, Casebook on Privacy & Data Protection in Nigeria, co-authored by Olumide Babalola and Uchenna Nnawuchi, 📘Casebook on Privacy & Data Protection in Nigeria is now available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/8TmFZrd
______________________________________________________________________
Groundbreaking Guide For Lawyers: Adigwe Publishes ‘Artificial Intelligence For Lawyers’ With Free Research eBook
Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACiarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
How to Order:
📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878
📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com
🌎 Website: www.benadigwe.com
Ebook Version: Access it directly online at https://selar.com/prv626
______________________________________________________________________
Alexander Payne Co. Law Reports
Contact & Orders 📞 0704 444 4777 | 0704 444 4999 | 0818 199 9888 🌐 www.alexandernigeria.com
______________________________________________________________________
The books are available for purchase at:
Online: www.educodex.com | www.selar.com | www.amazon.com | www.mikeozekhome.com
Enquiries: +234 704 044 9375 | +234 814 813 4773 | +234 816 872 3532
Email: educodexl@gmail.com
______________________________________________________________________
Explore Nigeria’s Constitutional System — 17 Chapters, 924 Pages Of Insight By Prof. Hagler Sunny Okorie
