LONDON: Two people have died and a man has been shot by armed police after a car was driven at pedestrians and a person was stabbed in a suspected terrorist attack outside a synagogue on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
Greater Manchester Police said that three other people are in a serious condition following the attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, in the north of the city, on Thursday morning.
The force confirmed a bomb disposal unit was sent to the scene after footage shared on social media appeared to show members of the public shouting to firearms officers that the suspect had a bomb strapped to him.
Police said the suspect is believed to be dead after shots were fired by armed police at 9:38 am - but the force said that "cannot currently be confirmed due to safety issues surrounding suspicious items on his person."
The force said it had "declared Plato" - the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to a "marauding terror attack".
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said "additional police assets" will be deployed at synagogues across the country following the attack.
Police declared a major incident at 9:37 am after receiving a call from a man who said he had witnessed a car being driven towards members of the public and that one man had been stabbed.
The attack comes as members of the Jewish community observe Yom Kippur - considered the holiest day in the Jewish calendar and a time when synagogues are usually particularly busy.
Starmer is set to fly home early from a meeting of European leaders in Denmark to chair a Cobra meeting following the incident.
He told reporters he was "appalled" at the attack, adding: "The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific."
King Charles III said he and the queen were "deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community."
Charles, in a message issued by Buckingham Palace, said his thoughts and prayers were with all those affected by "this appalling incident" as he praised the "swift actions" of the emergency services.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said one of the victims appeared to be a security guard who had been attacked with a knife.
A woman, who described herself as a religious Jew who lives next door to the synagogue, said as soon as the suspect got out of the car, he "started stabbing anyone near him."
The area around the synagogue was swamped by dozens of police vehicles, along with fire and ambulance crews, while the force helicopter hovered overhead shortly after the incident. - dpa
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
