Manchester Synagogue Knife and Vehicle Attack Sparks Crisis

A knife-and-vehicle attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester on Yom Kippur left two people dead and four seriously injured; police shot the suspect dead at the scene. Officers launched Operation Plato, were initially unable to approach the body because of a suspicious item, and made two subsequent arrests. The assault has intensified fear across Britain’s Jewish communities, prompted visible policing and advice from the Community Security Trust (which recorded 1,521 antisemitic incidents from January to June 2025), and led to calls for heightened security at synagogues. Sir Keir Starmer cut short a trip to chair a COBRA meeting and ordered more police resources, while Israeli officials including Benjamin Netanyahu and Gideon Sa’ar accused UK authorities of failing to curb antisemitic incitement. Eyewitnesses and local leaders praised security staff whose actions helped avert a larger massacre, even as debate intensified over demographic and social tensions in Manchester and the government’s ability to protect Jewish citizens.