Greater Manchester Police have now given more details about the terror attack in Crumpsall this morning
At a press conference Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson confirmed that a car was driven at worshippers outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Middleton Road and then proceeded to attack worshippers as they gathered on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar,
Security men outside the Synagogue prevented the attacker from entering the building
A large number of people worshipping at the synagogue at the time of the incident “were held inside while the immediate area was made safe,” officers said, and have since been evacuated.
Two people have been killed in the incident, a further four remain in hospital with serious injuries
The attacker was shot dead by police who arrived at the scene minutes after receiving the first reports of the incident
In the statement Sir Stephen Watson said that
Enquiries are moving at pace, and very visible and proactive policing activity is ongoing across Greater Manchester and beyond. Updates will be provided as soon as possible. Our priority is to keep the public safe.
want to share my gratitude to all the members of the public who called the police as soon as they saw what was happening – this allowed the quick response from our officers, who were able to act swiftly and bravely to bring this horrendous attack to an end.
I also want to thank our partners from the other emergency services, local authorities and the health service, who have provided their ongoing support to us throughout the day, and will continue to do, over the coming days.
I know today’s horrific events will have a significant impact on all our communities, not only in Greater Manchester, but across our country.
There will be a lot of questions that people would like the answers to, and quickly, but please understand that some of this will take time. What I can say, is that the highly visible response to these dreadful events will be sustained as we work to understand the full circumstances of what has happened.
I know you will all join me in keeping those directly affected by what has happened, in our thoughts and prayers. There are grieving families and communities at the heart of this in Greater Manchester and beyond. I would therefore ask that people refrain from sharing disturbing and insensitive content online. If you have information share it with the police.
We stand with all those affected and will continue to do everything in our power to keep our communities safe.
