ReutersTwo people have died in a car ramming and stabbing attack at a synagogue in Manchester, with the suspect shot by police.
The incident came on Yom Kippur – the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar.
Here is what we know so far.
What happened?
Police responded to reports of a car driving towards members of the public and a man stabbed at 09:31 BST on Thursday.
The man who was stabbed is believed to be a security guard.
The incident happened at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Crumpsall area in Manchester’s north.
It is an area with a large Jewish community, about 4 miles (6km) from the city centre.
By 09:37, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) had declared a major incident.
Police said they fired shots at 09:38 and one man, believed to be the offender, was shot. He is thought to be dead, the force said.
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.
An eyewitness called Gareth, who was driving his delivery van near the scene, told the BBC he saw a man “bleeding out on the floor”.
He said he saw another man “laying on the floor” in front of a car, and could hear people shouting.
Gareth said he saw another man 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,” he explained, saying the man holding the knife then went down on the floor.
The man then “started getting back up and they [the police] shot him again”, Gareth said – describing it as “nerve-racking” to witness.
The North West Ambulance Service confirmed that a major incident had been declared and that it had deployed staff to the scene.
How many people have died and been injured?
Greater Manchester Police say two people have died.
A third person, a man believed to be the offender, was shot by police and is also believed to be dead.
Three other members of the public remain in a serious condition.
Police earlier said the injuries were a result of both the vehicle and stab wounds.
What do we know about the suspect?
Police said the man believed to be the offender was shot by firearms officers and is thought to be 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.”
The BBC has verified that an image said to show the perpetrator of the attack was taken from just outside the perimeter fence of the scene on Thursday morning.
The individual’s appearance matches that of a man seen being apparently shot by police at the same location in verified video from the scene of the attack.
A clip circulating on social media, verified by the BBC, appears to show the moment police opened fire.
In it, two armed officers can be seen standing pointing their weapons at a figure lying prone on the ground.
Seconds later, the figure attempts to stand up. A sharp cracks ring out and the man falls to the ground.
Is the incident ongoing?
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said “the immediate danger appears to be over”.
But members of the public are being warned to avoid the area while police deal with the incident.
The site has been cordoned off, with police, fire and ambulance services present and helicopters overhead.
A controlled explosion was heard at the police cordon at around 13:20.
Members of the Jewish community and the wider public could be seen gathering around the scene.
Getty ImagesPolice said they declared “Plato” moments after first hearing about the incident.
Operation Plato is a set of responses by the emergency services to large-scale incidents including “marauding terrorist attacks”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said “additional police assets” would be deployed at synagogues across the country after the attack.
He told reporters: “We will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe.”
What is Yom Kippur?
Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar.
It is a solemn time of fasting and atonement thought to be the day God seals the fate of each person for the coming years. Work is forbidden as the day is set aside for prayer and reflection.
Many who do not regularly attend synagogue services do so – as such, security is often increased.
Rabbi Jonathan Romain, of Maidenhead Synagogue, told PA news agency said this is “every Jewish person’s worst nightmare”.
“Not only is this a sacred day, the most sacred in the Jewish calendar, but it’s also a time of mass gathering, and the time when the Jewish community, however religious or irreligious, gathers together.”
King Charles III 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”.
ReutersThe prime minister said he was “appalled” by the attack.
He said in a statement: “The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.
“My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders.”
He will chair a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee in London this afternoon, flying home early from a European summit in Denmark to do so.
The home secretary said she was “horrified” by news of the attack on the holy day and that she was receiving updates from local police.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told the BBC it looked like “an outrageous attack on the Jewish community on their holiest day” – calling it “vile and disgusting”.
