Terrorist kills two people at Manchester synagogue

Four others badly hurt during rampage on holiest day in Jewish calendar, Attacker named as Jihad al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent

- Josh Halliday Chris Osuh Emine Sinmaz

Police shot dead a terrorist who killed two people and seriously injured four others at a synagogue in Manchester yesterday on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

The man used a car to ram into the grounds of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall yesterday morning, then stabbed worshippers in a six-minute rampage that ended only when armed officers shot at him twice, fearing he also had an explosive device tied to his chest.

The suspected bomb was found to be a fake. Last night Greater Manchester police named the man who carried out the attack as 35-year-old Jihad al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent. Shamie's name had not appeared in initial searches of counter-terrorism systems, sources told the Guardian, but he was believed to have connections to the Manchester area. He was not thought to have been under current investigation.

The police also said that three suspects were in custody and had been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. They are two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s.

The attack drew condemnation from across the political spectrum, with Keir Starmer calling the terrorist a "vile individual" who "attacked Jews because they are Jews, and attacked Britain because of our values". The prime minister's political rivals Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage were among those also showing support for the Jewish community.

The attack came days before the two-year anniversary of the 7 October attacks by Hamas in Israel. Police said there would be heightened security at synagogues and Jewish community centres in coming days. In research published today, 35% of British Jews said they felt unsafe in the UK, up from 9% before the 7 October attacks.