A rabbi who barricaded the doors of a synagogue while it was under a ‘marauding terror attack’ by a knifeman has today been hailed a hero.
Rabbi Daniel Walker leapt into action after the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue came under attack shortly after 9.30am.
The suspect, who was later shot by armed police and has since died, first rammed a car into the worship site before going on a rampage, killing least two people. Three others remain in a serious condition, authorities have said.
As the carnage outside unfolded, Rabbi Walker – who has headed Heaton Park since 2008 – blocked the entrance of the ‘packed’ building, protecting those inside.
Dramatic pictures of the scene later showed the attacker, who police claimed had been ‘armed with a bomb’, attempting to smash his way into the synagogue before being gunned down.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Chava Lewin said: ‘My friend saw him crash the car near the synagogue.
‘At first she thought he’d had a heart attack. Then he got out and started stabbing everyone he could get to.
‘Rabbi Walker was incredibly calm, he shut the doors to the synagogue to stop him getting inside.
‘He barricaded everyone inside. He is a hero, this could have been even worse.’
It’s believed the assailant is thought to have died but this cannot be confirmed by police yet ‘due to safety issues’ surrounding ‘suspicious items on his person’.
It follows claims the attacker had been armed with a suspected explosive suicide belt, which is currently being looked at by bomb disposal officers.
Shortly after police shot the the man, Rabbi Walker was seen outside, his white kittel – the traditional robes worn by Jewish religious leaders – seemingly covered in blood.
One Jewish man, who was at the scene of today’s onslaught, 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.’
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Chava added: ‘Some of the congregation were inside at the time but others were still arriving.
‘We saw someone being resuscitated in the courtyard.
‘It’s so scary, we just don’t feel safe now.
‘To think someone would choose today of all days to attack us is horrifying.’
Rabbi Walker serves as co-chair of the community and interfaith committees of the JRC and has been the Rabbi of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation since 2008.
He fulfils a number of other roles with community organisations including serving as chairman of The Friendship Circle, which helps people with disabilities.
He is also the director of the Manchester Beth Din (Ecclesiastical Court), and serves as a governor of King David Primary and High Schools.
He has previously held a number of rabbinic and educational positions in Israel and the UK.
Rabbi Walker was educated at Manchester Jewish Grammar School and went on to study in yeshivas in the USA and Israel, where he received his ordination in 2003.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who will now fly home early from a meeting of European leaders to chair Cobra, said he was ‘appalled’ by today’s carnage.
He added: ‘The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.’
An eyewitness to the suspected terror attack has since spoken of the chaos, which has rocked Britain’s Jewish community.
Khurram Rafiq, who was driving past, said the silent attacker went from victim to victim in a ‘robotic’ manner like he ‘had a job to do’.
Mr Rafiq, 35, a manager for a global tech firm, told the Daily Mail: ‘I was driving into work this morning and further down the road I saw a car which was on the same side as mine but several vehicles in front suddenly swerve out and drive into someone on the pavement.
‘Initially I thought it was an accident and that the driver had lost control for whatever reason. But he then got out and stabbed the man who was lying on the ground.
‘This happened directly outside the synagogue. The knifeman walked through the front gates and stabbed at least two other men.
‘I would describe him as an Asian man and he was going for anyone who was Jewish, the men he stabbed were all wearing the kippur.
‘He was quiet, there was no shouting from what I could hear nor any religious slogans or chants, he was very robotic in his actions like he had a job to do and was just focused on doing it.
‘The entrance to the synagogue was locked shut. I could see him trying to get in, he was banging on the door and at one point looked to try and kind of jimmy open the door.
‘People were trying to distract him by throwing stuff like plant pots but nobody was going near him.’
Another man called Gareth, who was driving his delivery van at the time also witnessed the onslaught
He described seeing a man ‘bleeding out on the floor’ before then seeing another male armed with a knife ‘stabbing the window’ of a nearby building ‘trying to get in’.
‘Within seconds, the police arrived, they gave him a couple of warnings, he didn’t listen so they opened fire,’ Gareth told BBC Radio Manchester.
Local resident Olivia Gold said she had friends who attend the synagogue. ‘It would have been very, very busy,’ she added.
Speaking of the incident, she said: ‘It’s just horrendous. We’re a quiet community, just leave us alone. We don’t want any of this.’
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.’
The suspect, who was shot at least twice, has since died, police said.
Police sources told the Daily Mail it was ‘too early’ to determine the attacker’s motivation.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson praised the ‘quick response’ of a witness to the attack which allowed police to take ‘swift action’ to prevent the offender ‘from entering the synagogue’.
The spokesman said: ‘We know today’s horrifying attack, on the Jewish community’s holiest day, will have caused significant shock and fear throughout all of our communities.
‘We are grateful to the member of the public whose quick response to what they witnessed allowed our swift action, and as a result the offender was prevented from entering the synagogue.
‘We remain in direct contact with all synagogues across Greater Manchester to provide reassurance and this will continue for as long as needed.’
Police urged anyone with images or footage of the incident to refrain from circulating them on social media but to share them directly with the force.
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’.
The victims of today’s massacre have not yet been identified.
A number of hospitals in Greater Manchester are in ‘lockdown’ following the incident at the synagogue in Crumpsall, it has been reported.
An internal note shared by the Northern Care Alliance (NCA) NHS Foundation Trust and seen by the Manchester Evening News said all of its sites ‘have been asked to immediately lock down’ following the declaration of a major incident.
‘We have been informed that emergency services are at the scene of an incident within Manchester. We will share further details as these become available,’ the note added.
NCA hospitals include Salford Royal, Fairfield General, Rochdale Infirmary and the Royal Oldham.
