UK – At least 2 people were killed in a Greater Manchester attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue on Thursday after an attacker rammed a car into people and went on a stabbing spree. Three other victims are reported to be in critical condition.

Greater Manchester Police said officers were called at about 9.31 am local time on to reports of a car being driven toward pedestrians outside the synagogue in Crumpsall and a man being stabbed. Firearms officers were deployed and a man believed to be the suspect was shot by the officers.

Paramedics arrived at 9.41 am and treated four people who sustained a mix of stab and vehicle-related injuries.

The force declared a “major incident” and activated Operation Plato, the protocol used when officers suspect a marauding terror scenario.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told the BBC Radio Manchester that the immediate danger appeared to have passed, and that it was “a serious incident.” He added that one of the injured may have been a security guard.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is in Copenhagen for the European Political Community gathering, is cutting his trip short and returning to the country to chair an emergency Cabinet meeting.

“I’m appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall. 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.”

Investigators from counterterrorism units and MI5 have joined the inquiry, and authorities urged the public to stay clear of the area and allow emergency services to work.