Yom Kippur attack in Manchester: what we know about the victims, the suspect and the police response

A car-ramming and stabbing outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester turned deadly on Yom Kippur, with two members of the local Jewish community killed and three more people left in serious condition. Police shot and killed the suspected attacker within minutes, then later declared the assault a terrorism incident and named the suspect.

The chaos began around 9:31 a.m. Thursday on Middleton Road in Crumpsall, as worshippers arrived for morning services. Witnesses said a car was driven at pedestrians before a six-minute stabbing spree. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) declared a major incident and activated “Operation Plato,” the protocol for a marauding terrorist attack. Armed officers opened fire at 9:38 a.m., stopping the assailant at the synagogue gates as congregants barricaded the doors from inside.

By late morning, authorities confirmed the suspect and two victims had died. On Friday, GMP said evidence indicates one of the deceased victims, and another person still in hospital, were struck by police gunfire during the effort to halt the attacker. Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson called it a “tragic and unforeseen consequence” of urgent action taken to prevent further harm, stressing the suspect did not have a firearm and that only police fired shots.

Police believe the two men who died were 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, both from Crumpsall and part of the Jewish community. Formal identification is pending and Home Office post-mortems were scheduled for Friday. Three additional victims remain in serious condition with a mix of stab and vehicle-impact injuries; one also has a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

The suspect was identified as 35-year-old Jihad al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian heritage. Police said he wore a vest that resembled an explosive device, later found to be non-viable. Investigators are still examining motive and have arrested two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s on suspicion of terrorism offenses. Counterterrorism officers and MI5 are reviewing seized devices; there is no confirmation of ties to a wider network at this stage.

The timing compounded the shock. Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, when even infrequent synagogue-goers attend services. The Heaton Park congregation, long rooted in Manchester’s North Jewish neighborhoods, was busy when the attack unfolded. Community members described fear, grief and disbelief, even as many praised the rapid actions of congregants and police that kept the attacker from entering the building.

National leaders moved quickly. Prime Minister Keir Starmer left a European summit to chair an emergency meeting and said additional police had been deployed to synagogues nationwide. The King issued a message of sympathy and thanks to emergency services. In Manchester, uniformed patrols were visibly stepped up around synagogues, schools and community centers.

Thursday’s attack comes amid a broader spike in antisemitic incidents reported across the UK in the past two years. Local leaders urged calm but acknowledged deep unease—both about rising hate and about the revelation that police bullets appear to have struck two victims in the melee.

The investigation is ongoing. GMP has opened a public portal for information and for families seeking loved ones, and the police watchdog has launched a standard inquiry into the firearms discharge. For a community preparing to enter Shabbat after the solemnity of Yom Kippur, the focus now is on supporting the bereaved, tending to the injured and understanding how a morning of prayer turned into tragedy so quickly.

The Washington Post, the New York Times, Al Jazeera, and Sky News contributed to this report.