'Bravery' of security guards and worshippers stopped attacker from entering synagogue

Two people have been killed - and a man has been shot dead by police - in a terror attack at a Manchester synagogue on the holy day of Yom Kippur.

A car was driven at the public, with the driver then attacking people with a knife outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall. The attacker, who was wearing what resembled a bomb vest or belt, was stopped from getting in by the "immediate bravery" of security staff and members of the congregation.

Follow the latest updates from our live blog He was shot dead seven minutes after the first emergency call. Police said they believe they know his identity but will not release his name yet.

Four people remain in hospital with serious injuries. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of UK counter-terror policing, said it was being treated as a terror incident and two people had been arrested.

Police patrols are being stepped up near synagogues as the prime minister condemned the "horrific incident" and apologised to Jewish people "on behalf of the nation". The first calls were received at 9.31am - and just minutes later "Plato" was declared, the code-word used by emergency services for a "marauding terror attack".

A bomb disposal unit was later sent to the scene and photos show a knife near the attacker's body and what looks like some kind of white belt. Police confirmed on Thursday evening that "the device the suspect was wearing was not viable".

Read more:Eyewitnesses describe how attack unfoldedWhat we know about synagogue attack Video of the incident shows police pointing guns at the attacker and shouting at people to "get back" and "move on". The man starts to get up before a gunshot is heard and he falls to the ground.

Another person is seen lying motionless outside the synagogue gates with blood near their head. Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson, head of the Greater Manchester force, said there were a large number of people at the synagogue when it happened.

"Thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and the worshippers inside, as well as the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access," he said. A bomb disposal robot was called in after the attacker was shot dead and a bang was heard as officers tried to gain access to his vehicle.

An SAS "Blue Thunder" helicopter was also later seen flying overhead. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer returned home early from a meeting in Denmark to chair an emergency Cobra meeting.

He called it a "horrific incident" carried out by a "vile individual" and said Britain must defeat rising anti-Jewish hate. "I express my solidarity, but also my sadness that you still have to live with these fears," said Sir Keir.

"Nobody should have to do that. Nobody.

And so I promise you that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve, starting with a more visible police presence, protecting your community." He added: "I promise you that over the coming days, you will see the other Britain, the Britain of compassion, of decency, of love." King 'shocked and saddened' Members of the Royal Family have also reacted to the attack. The King said: "My wife and I have been deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services." The Prince and Princess of Wales said on social media: "Our thoughts are with the victims and the families of the terrible attack at Heaton Park Synagogue. "The fact that this tragedy occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more shocking.

"We are thinking of the entire community as well as the emergency responders who attended this terrible incident." 'No place for Jews in Britain anymore' A Jewish man outside the synagogue 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." The Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitism in the UK, called it an "appalling attack". Dave Rich, of the CST, 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. In terms of importance in the religious year, he said it is similar to Christmas Day for Christians, but a day of solemnity and fasting rather than celebration.

A regular worshipper at the synagogue told Sky News the attack on Yom Kippur was a "culmination of something the Jewish community has been fearing for two years". Raphi Bloom, a director at a local Jewish social care charity, said he was walking to the synagogue when he received a call from a friend warning him not to go.

Mr Bloom told Sky's Jayne Secker there had been inaction to tackle "the wave of hatred targeting the Jewish community in the UK" since the Gaza War began two years ago. "We've been faced with a tsunami of Jew hatred since," he said.

"Ultimately, almost every Jew in this country realised that this day would come. I never thought it would happen at my synagogue, to my friends, to my rabbi, in my city." He called on every Jewish organisation in the UK to have "large fences around it" and 24-hour security.

Israel's foreign minister echoed that sentiment and said Jews in Britain were "suffering from a horrific wave of antisemitism". "The authorities in Britain have failed to take the necessary action to curb this toxic wave of antisemitism and have effectively allowed it to persist," said Gideon Sa'ar on X.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham wrote on X: "Today we have witnessed a vile attack on our Jewish community on its holiest day. "We condemn whoever is responsible and will do everything within our power to keep people safe.

"We stand with GM's Jewish community at this time and will work through the day to support them.".