Dramatic footage has today emerged showing the moment armed police shot a suspected knifeman following a ‘marauding terror attack’ at a synagogue.
Four people were knifed after a man ‘armed with a bomb’ rammed a car into the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue at 9.31am today.
The attack, which took place on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, has been declared a ‘Plato’ incident – the national code-word used by police and emergency services when responding to a ‘marauding terror attack’.
Gruesome video footage, leaked on social media, showed has shown how police armed with assault rifles gunned down the male suspect.
Above the sound of car alarms ringing out, two officers were heard shouting at people inside the worship centre to ‘stay in, stay inside’, shortly after shooting the alleged attacker.
Then, as one officer yells at stunned witnesses to get away, the armed cops shockingly shouts: ‘He has a bomb, go away. Get back.’
The harrowing clip shows people scrambling to get away. As the camera pans around, a man is shown laying motionless on the floor in a pool of blood.
‘He’s got a bomb, get the f*** out of here,’ one man filming yells to another horrified witness. ‘He’s going to blow himself up, he’s trying to press the button.’
The video continues, showing the suspect lifting himself up from the floor before one armed officer appears to shoot the man, who is then seen writhing on the floor.
It’s unclear if the suspect was armed with an explosive device. However, a bomb disposal unit is at the scene alongside dozens of police vehicles and fire and ambulance crews.
Sir Keir Starmer, who will now fly home early from a meeting of European leaders to chair Cobra, said he was ‘appalled’, adding: ‘The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.’
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: ‘I am horrified by the news of an attack at a synagogue in Manchester today, on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
‘My first thoughts are with the victims, our brave police and emergency services.’
While Chris Philp, shadow home secretary said, branded the attack ‘sickening’, adding: ‘I am appalled not only by this brutal attack, but also by the evil that lies behind it.’
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said one victim appeared to be a security guard who had been attacked with a knife. He said ‘it is believed’ the suspect was dead, but this has not been confirmed.
‘I can give some assurance that the immediate danger appears to be over,’ he added.
Images from the scene of the chaos show a number of emergency service personnel swarming the scene.
Paramedics and firefighters were pictured wearing bullet-proof body armour, issued during the case of a terror attack.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: ‘Police were called to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, on Middleton Road, Crumpsall, at 9.31am by a member of the public, stating he had witnessed a car being driven towards members of the public and one man had been stabbed.’
The force said it declared a major incident at 9.37am.
The statement continued: ‘Shots were fired by Greater Manchester Police firearms officers at 9.38am. One man has been shot, believed to be the offender. Paramedics arrived at the scene at 9.41am and are tending to members of the public.
‘(There are) currently four members of the public with injuries caused by both the vehicle and stab wounds. Members of the public are asked to avoid the area while the police continue to deal with the incident.’
Streets surrounding the synagogue have been cordoned off with police cars and vans, sirens blaring, racing down neighbouring roads.
Police officers dressed in black combat fatigues and carrying machine guns could also be seen inside the cordon outside the synagogue.
A Jewish man, among a group of shocked onlookers at the cordon, said his wife and daughter and other members of the congregation were still inside the synagogue.
A number of black, unmarked police 4×4 vehicles and vans carrying plain clothes officers with face coverings were seen leaving the area of the incident at speed.
A Jewish man said: ‘It is the holiest day of the year and we get this. There is no place for Jews in Britain anymore. It’s over.’
Locals are being urged to avoid the scene on Middleton Road, while the road is closed between Wilton Road and Crumpsall Lane.
North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said resources had been sent to the scene.
A spokesman said: ‘Our priority is to ensure people receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible.’
It comes as members of the Jewish community observe Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is considered the holiest day in the Jewish calendar and is a time when synagogues are usually particularly busy.
Dave Rich of the Community Security Trust, a charity that monitors antisemitism in the UK, said: ‘Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year.
‘It’s a very solemn day and synagogues across the country will be full throughout the day.
‘There’s always a significant security operation in place between police and CST across the Jewish community on all major Jewish festivals.’
In terms of importance in the religious year he said it is similar to Christmas Day for Christians, but is a day of solemnity and fasting rather than celebration.
