Car Ramming, Stabbing Attack Kills 2 at English Synagogue
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - An assailant drove a car into people outside a synagogue on Thursday in northern England and stabbed two of them to death in what police called a terrorist attack on the holiest day of the Jewish year.
Officers shot and killed the suspect at the synagogue in Manchester, police said, though authorities took some time to confirm he was dead because he was wearing a vest that made it appear as if he had explosives. Police later said he did not have a bomb.
The Metropolitan Police force in London, which leads the nation’s counter-terrorism policing operations, declared the rampage a terrorist attack. The assault took place as people gathered at an Orthodox synagogue in an outer neighborhood of Manchester on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar, the AP reported.
Authorities said the man believed responsible was a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent named Jihad Al-Shamie, who entered the UK as a young child and became a citizen in 2006. An initial check of records showed he was not part of a UK counter-terror program that tries to identify people at risk for being radicalized.
Police also said three people were arrested on suspicion of acts of terrorism. They are two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s.
Police said the two people killed were Jewish. Authorities were working to formally identify them and determine the motive for the attack.
At least three people were hospitalized in serious condition, officials said. One person sustained a stab wound while a second was struck by the car involved in the attack. A third person arrived at a hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker. A fourth injured person was taken to the hospital, but their injuries and condition were not available.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the “vile” assailant who “attacked Jews because they are Jews.” He promised the Jewish community that he would do “everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve, starting with a more visible police presence.”
“I promise you that over the coming days, you will see the other Britain, the Britain of compassion, of decency, of love,” Starmer said. “I promise you that this Britain will come together to wrap our arms around your community and show you that Britain is a place where you and your family are safe, secure and belong.”
