TEL AVIV, Oct 3 (The African Portal) – Two people were killed and four seriously injured when a man drove a car into people outside a packed synagogue in Manchester, northern England, on Thursday and then began stabbing them, in a terror attack on Yom Kippur.
Police shot and killed the suspect outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Crumpsall neighbourhood, said Greater Manchester Police (GMP). It took law enforcement a number of hours to confirm the man was dead because of concerns he had an explosive device on him.
GMP Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson confirmed that two Jewish people were killed in the attack. He also said the suspect was “wearing a vest that appeared to be a suicide device.” Officers said later that the device was “not viable.”
Police said a large number of people had been worshipping inside the synagogue at the time and prevented the terrorist from entering. The building was subsequently evacuated.
A video shared on social media showed police shooting a man inside the synagogue’s perimeter, while another man, apparently a congregant, lay on the floor in a pool of blood.
Footage from the scene at the time of the attack also showed an officer yelling for onlookers to clear the area as the suspect “has a bomb.”
A bystander could be heard on the video saying that the terrorist had a bomb and was trying to detonate it. When he tried to stand up, a gunshot rang out and he fell to the ground.
An image on social media appeared to show the assailant wearing white objects around his waist.
Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, Laurence Taylor, said the attack had been declared a terrorist incident based on what investigators knew, and that two people had been arrested.
He said investigators believed they knew the identity of the attacker but were not able to confirm it yet.
Credit: The Times of Israel
