Manchester synagogue stabber's first photo out; ‘was wearing a bomb vest’

Manchester police said two people were killed and three others were seriously injured on Thursday

Manchester police said two people were killed and three others were seriously injured on Thursday after an attacker drove a car into people outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, in Crumpsall. The suspect stabbed several people at the scene. Greater Manchester Police said officers shot and killed the suspect.

A bomb disposal technician works at the scene, after a report of an incident in which a car was driven at pedestrians and a stabbing attack outside a synagogue, in north Manchester, Britain, October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay(REUTERS)

Police were called to the synagogue shortly after 9:30 AM local time. Officials confirmed that the two people who died were ‘members of our Jewish community’.

First details on suspect

Officials said that the suspect, yet to be identified, was killed at the scene. A ‘suspicious item’ was found on the suspect. While it is not known what the bomb disposal unit found on the suspect, it appeared to be an ‘explosive vest’. The attacker's first photos surfaced on social media.

The motive behind the attack is unknown. But it took place on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. Synagogues across the country, as well as around the world, will be full of people.

“I know that today’s horrific events will have a significant impact on all of our communities, not only in Greater Manchester, but across our country. There will be lots of questions that people would like answers to and quickly, but please understand that some of this will take time," Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was appalled by the attack and additional police officers would be deployed at synagogues across the UK. He left a summit of European leaders in Copenhagen, Denmark, early to return to London to chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee.

King Charles III said he and his wife, Queen Camilla, were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”

(With AP inputs)