Shock and disbelief as Manchester community reels from synagogue attack

Shock and disbelief as Manchester community reels from synagogue attack

Manchester, England –  As people gathered near a synagogue in Manchester hours after an attack that left two people dead, many had trouble understanding the assault. Locals claim that attacks don’t occur in such locations, especially on Yom Kippur.

A man attacked others with a knife about 9.30am (08:30 GMT) on Thursday in Crumpsall, north of Manchester, after driving his car into people near the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue.

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Prior to police’s arrival, the synagogue’s security staff and members of the public prevented him from entering the building, killing the assailant, who appeared to be wearing an “explosive device,” according to police. Four seriously ill people were taken to a hospital by four injured people.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the Metropolitan Police’s head of counterterrorism policing, said that two people have been detained since the attack. The attacker’s identity and potential motives have not been revealed.

A police helicopter hovering overhead, Zaki said, “I still can’t believe what happened,” while he and some of his family were standing at the corner of a nearby road.

He told Al Jazeera, “I heard the shots this morning.” It didn’t seem plausible, the author claimed. I believed there were fireworks.

Zaki’s comments were shared by many people who gathered nearby the synagogue. Onlookers claimed that these things don’t occur here. Crumpsall has a rich history of diversity. According to Zaki, “Everyone in our community gets along well.” Our Jewish neighbors are close by.

Sam Martin, a 41-year-old resident, also described being unable to comprehend the attack.

He continued, “Muslims, Jews, everyone here,” adding, “There is everyone here.” Our Jewish community has taught me nothing but love and kindness. This could happen, I’m just shocked.

Even Israel’s occupation of Gaza hasn’t caused a lot of community division, according to many residents in the neighborhood. Many people expressed concern that far-right organizations would use the attack to spread unrest because of their confidence, which was fueled by an August campaign to hang English flags across the nation and a large rally in London a month later.

Despite the identity and possible motives of the attacker remaining uncertain, far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who uses the pseudonym Tommy Robinson, quickly took issue with the attack and blamed organizations affiliated with the UK’s ruling Labour Party.

Gideon Saar, the foreign minister of Israel, blasted the British government and claimed they failed to stop anti-Semitism.

He wrote on X: “Blatant and rampant antisemitic and anti-Israeli incitement, as well as calls for support for terror, have recently become a common phenomenon in the streets of London, in cities across Britain, and on its campuses.”

The attacker, according to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, was a “vile” person who was “motivated to attack Jews because they are Jews.”

In order to honor the holiday, one of the young men gathered near the police cordon, 23-year-old Akiva, requested that no notes be taken during his interview. He was certain that the English far right would react to the attack. He claimed that the attack, which has affected Jewish residents, will likely cause divisions in the otherwise quiet and well-integrated community.

Akiva’s brother typically travels past the synagogue on his way to worship, but Akiva had arrived at the synagogue to check on him. He claimed that his mother fell to her in Manchester when she first learned of the attack.

Source: Aljazeera

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