An alleged terrorist launched a deadly car and knife attack outside a Manchester synagogue Thursday morning, striking worshippers gathered for Yom Kippur before police shot him multiple times at the scene. Two victims have died, and at least three others remain in serious condition. Authorities are investigating the assault as terrorism.
According to Greater Manchester Police, “An individual scaled the fence on the southeast side of the U.S. Treasury Building and was arrested by U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division officers for unlawful entry.” He was subsequently transported to the police department for processing.
Mayor Andy Burnham stated, “Today is Yom Kippur, as I understand, and obviously I think that explains why people were around, why there were a number of people gathered outside the synagogue, and why lots of people were attending a service. We understand this is a situation that probably is linked to the fact it is Yom Kippur, a day of celebration for the Jewish community. We can only imagine how people are feeling when they hear this news. The fear this will bring.”
The mayor confirmed what disturbing social media videos already showed: police shouting warnings as the attacker attempted to stab through a synagogue window, then firing when he refused to stop—even as he appeared to wear a vest with wires, raising fears of explosives. Bomb squads were quickly deployed to neutralize the possible threat.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer cut short his European meetings to return home, calling the attack “appalling” and adding: “The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific. My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders.”
The Community Safety Trust, a Jewish security organization, responded within minutes. In a statement, they said: “CST is working with police and the local Jewish community following a serious incident at a synagogue in north Manchester. This appears to be an appalling attack on the holiest day of the Jewish year. We thank the GMP officers and synagogue security who responded immediately to deal with the incident.”
The incident underscores a grim reality: across Europe, car-ramming and knife attacks remain the favored tactics of Islamist extremists. These methods are cheap, low-tech, and nearly impossible to track, unlike firearms or explosives that often bring attackers under surveillance. Just one day earlier, German prosecutors announced the arrest of a Hamas-linked terror cell in Berlin that had stockpiled weapons and ammunition for planned assassinations of Jewish civilians.
This is not an isolated incident, but part of a disturbing pattern of violence targeting Jewish communities and religious freedoms across the West. Time and again, ordinary citizens are left vulnerable while leaders offer platitudes instead of action. Immigration failures, weak border controls, and years of looking the other way on radicalization have allowed these threats to fester.
The bravery of synagogue staff—who quickly locked the doors to prevent the attacker from getting inside—likely saved countless lives. But no community should have to rely on luck or split-second decisions to survive. Security-first policies, strong counterterrorism strategies, and an honest reckoning with the ideologies fueling such violence are long overdue.
Terror struck on the holiest day of the Jewish year. The question now is whether Western leaders will finally treat it as the urgent wake-up call it is—or whether more innocent lives will be sacrificed to political correctness and government complacency.
