UK - Manchester Synagogue Terror Attacks on Yom Kippur, implications and way ahead

Key Takeaways:

• On 02 October 2025, a combined vehicle-ramming and stabbing attack targeted worshippers at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Crumpsall, Manchester, during Yom Kippur.

• The attacker, 35-year-old Jihad al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, was shot dead by police within minutes under Operation Plato, preventing further casualties.

• Two victims, believed to be Adrian Daulby (53) and Melvin Cravitz (66), were killed, while three others remain in hospital with serious injuries.

• Police have arrested three additional suspects on terrorism-related charges as counterterrorism officers investigate possible wider connections.

• The UK government has declared the incident a terrorist attack motivated by antisemitism, prompting increased security at synagogues nationwide.

• Prime Minister Keir Starmer, King Charles III, and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood all issued strong condemnations, while Jewish leaders warned of a growing antisemitism in Britain.

• The incident follows a surge in antisemitic hate crimes since the 2023 Hamas attacks and echoes Manchester’s painful history of terrorism, including the 2017 Arena bombing.

Manchester Synagogue Attack on Yom Kippur

On the morning of Thursday, 02 October 2025, worshippers at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Crumpsall, north Manchester, were subjected to one of the most shocking acts of terror in recent years. As congregants gathered for prayers marking Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, a 35-year-old man launched a combined vehicle-ramming and stabbing attack outside the synagogue. The incident left two people dead and several others seriously injured, while Greater Manchester Police declared it a terrorist attack motivated by antisemitism.

The attacker, named as Jihad al-Shamie, was a British citizen of Syrian descent who had lived in the UK since childhood. According to  Counter Terrorism Police, al-Shamie was not known to Prevent, the government’s counter-radicalisation programme, but had come to the attention of security services for extremist sympathies. Witnesses said he drove a car toward worshippers before emerging armed with a knife and attacking individuals outside the synagogue gates. A security guard intervened, preventing him from entering the building, where dozens of people were gathered in prayer. Police firearms officers responded within minutes, invoking Operation Plato, the national counter-terrorism protocol for marauding attacks, and shot the suspect dead at the scene.

The speed of the response prevented what officials said could have been a “far worse tragedy.” In addition to the two fatalities, three more victims remain in the hospital: one with stab wounds, another struck by the vehicle, and a third injured during the police intervention. The men who lost their lives were later believed to be Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both residents of Crumpsall and longstanding members of Manchester’s Jewish community.

The attack has sent shockwaves through the United Kingdom’s Jewish population. With around 30,000 Jewish residents, Manchester is home to the second-largest Jewish community in the country after London. Community leaders described the incident as the realisation of long-held fears amid a rise in antisemitic threats and violence since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023.  Raphi Bloom, a member of the synagogue, told reporters: “We have been fearing something like this for years. The level of Jew hatred has risen dramatically, and today it arrived on our doorstep”.

National leaders quickly condemned the attack. Prime Minister  Keir Starmer cut short a visit to Denmark to chair an emergency COBRA meeting, calling the events “horrific” and promising that additional security would be deployed to synagogues across the country. King Charles III issued a rare personal statement, expressing that he and Queen Camilla were “deeply shocked and saddened” and offering condolences to the victims’ families. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described herself as “horrified” and confirmed she was receiving constant updates from Greater Manchester Police.

Security services have since taken further measures to reassure communities. Armed patrols have been stepped up around synagogues nationwide, while bomb disposal units were dispatched to the scene in Manchester after al-Shamie was found wearing what appeared to be an explosive device, later confirmed to be non-viable. Three other individuals, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s, have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in preparing or supporting the attack. Counterterrorism officers are now investigating whether al-Shamie acted alone or as part of a wider network.

The attack has also rekindled memories of Manchester’s tragic history with terrorism. The city endured the 2017 Manchester Arena suicide bombing Manchester Arena suicide bombing, in which Salman Abedi killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert, as well as multiple bombings by the Provisional IRA during the Troubles. For many residents, Thursday’s events highlighted both the resilience and the vulnerability of their city.

Beyond Manchester, the attack comes amid a broader climate of tension for Jewish communities in Europe. The  Community Security Trust has documented record levels of antisemitic incidents in the UK, with over 1,500 reports in the first half of 2025 alone. Across the continent, authorities in Germany, France, and Eastern Europe have also disrupted plots targeting Jewish institutions, with some intelligence services accusing state actors such as Russia and Iran of stoking unrest.

Police have confirmed that the Manchester synagogue attack meets the UK’s legal definition of terrorism, which includes violence committed to advance a religious, political, or ideological cause. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of national counterterrorism policing, emphasised that the incident was clearly intended to target Jewish worshippers because of their faith. Prime Minister Starmer went further, condemning the suspect as “a vile individual who wanted to attack Jews because they are Jews.”

As the community mourns, the wider question facing Britain is how to ensure the safety of Jewish citizens at a time of heightened global instability. Thursday’s attack on Yom Kippur was not only an assault on one community but a stark reminder of the enduring threat of extremist violence to the United Kingdom as a whole.