Manchester synagogue attack: Killer's father issues statement as victim's cause of death revealed

Two people have been killed after a car was driven at members of the public and a man was stabbed outside a synagogue.

Greater Manchester Police said they were called to an incident in Middleton Road, Crumpsall, on Thursday, where a man, who is believed to be the offender, was shot by firearms officers. Police said they had “declared Plato” – the national code-word used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack”.

The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” at the attack, adding: “The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.”

In a statement, the force said: “Police were called to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, on Middleton Road, Crumpsall, at 9.31am by a member of the public, stating he had witnessed a car being driven towards members of the public and one man had been stabbed.”

The force said it declared a major incident at 9.37am. The statement continued: “Shots were fired by Greater Manchester Police firearms officers at 9.38am. One man has been shot, believed to be the offender.”

Follow our live blog for more as the incident unfolds.