Chava Lewin, who witnessed the attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester, told how a man tried to get into the building
Manchester synagogue attack: Witnesses describe horror as three dead
A neighbour who lives by the synagogue at the scene of a horror attack has told how a car crashed into the gates and “started stabbing anyone near him”.
Two people have been killed and a suspect is believed to have been shot dead by police outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, on Middleton Road, Crumpsall, north Manchester. Three other people remain in a serious condition following the “major incident” said Greater Manchester Police.
The force added over whether the suspect is dead: “It cannot currently be confirmed due to safety issues surround suspicious items on his person. The bomb disposal unit has been called and is now at the scene.”
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And now a neighbour who witnessed the incident unfold has said how she saw a car driving “erratically” and was trying to get inside the synagogue where people had barricaded themselves in.
Chava Lewin, who described herself as a religious Jew, first heard a loud bang which she thought might have been a firework. “I was outside and heard a banging sound and I thought it might be a firework. My husband went outside and then ran back inside and said ‘there’s been a terrorist attack’,” Ms Lewin told the Manchester Evening News.
“I spoke to someone who said she was driving and saw a car driving erratically and it crashed into the gates (of the synagogue). She thought maybe he had a heart attack. The second he got out of the car he started stabbing anyone near him. He went for the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue. He was in the courtyard. Someone barricaded the door. Everyone is in utter shock.”
Another man, meanwhile, said prayers had started when the attack happened, and that Rabbi Daniel Walker, who was leading a service inside, remained calm as he and others led the congregation to safety. He added: “They are true heroes.”
A picture of the alleged attacker, circulating online, showed a man with a beard and dark clothing standing outside the synagogue with unidentified objects strapped to his waist. He can also be seen holding something in his hand. The force said it had “declared Plato” – the national codeword used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said “additional police assets” will be deployed at synagogues across the country following the attack. Police declared a major incident at 9.37am 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. Sir Keir is set to fly home early from a meeting of European leaders in Denmark in order 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.” The King 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.