Britain was placed on high alert on Friday, October 3, after a deadly attack outside a Manchester synagogue during Yom Kippur left two people dead and three seriously injured. Police said the attacker, identified as Jihad al-Shamie, a UK citizen of Syrian origin, rammed his car into worshippers before going on a stabbing spree. Armed officers shot him dead within minutes, later revealing the explosive vest he wore was a fake.
Authorities swiftly declared the incident a terrorist attack, and within hours, three people, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s, were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offenses. Greater Manchester Police identified the victims as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both residents of the Crumpsall neighborhood where the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue is located.
Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said security was being reinforced nationwide: “We are absolutely on high alert,” she told Sky News, stressing that police resources had been increased across the country to reassure Jewish communities.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who cut short a European summit in Denmark to chair emergency meetings in London, vowed to “do everything in my power” to ensure the community’s safety. He was expected in Manchester on Friday. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis called the killings the “tragic result of Jew hatred,” warning that antisemitism had become relentless “on our streets, on campuses, on social media and elsewhere.”
The attack has intensified debates over pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Britain. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused UK authorities of failing to contain “rampant antisemitic and anti-Israeli incitement.” On Thursday evening, a “global movement for Gaza UK” rally went ahead in London, resulting in 40 arrests, including six for assaults on police officers. The Metropolitan Police have urged organizers to cancel another planned protest on Saturday, but the request has so far been rejected.
Mahmood condemned the timing of the rallies, saying: “I think that behaviour is fundamentally un-British. It’s dishonourable… people should step back and allow the Jewish community to grieve.”
Residents in Manchester described a climate of fear that has grown with the Gaza conflict. “Of course, everyone in the community in recent years has experienced some sort of antisemitism,” said Alex, a 31-year-old company director living near the synagogue, who knew one of the victims. “The conflict in Israel has definitely exacerbated the feelings of resentment.”
Many worshippers only learned of the tragedy after fasting and prayers, having disconnected from phones and computers for the holy day. The incident is being described as one of the worst antisemitic attacks in Europe since the Hamas-led assault on Israel in October 2023.