LONDON, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Police confirmed that two people were killed in a major stabbing incident outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Middleton Road in Crumpsall, Manchester, on Thursday.
Greater Manchester Police said a third man, believed to be the attacker, was shot by firearm officers and is also thought to be dead. Confirmation is pending due to suspicious items found on his body, prompting the deployment of a bomb disposal unit.
Three other people were injured in the attack and remain in serious condition.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement that "additional police assets are being deployed to synagogues across the country."
Police said officers were called at 9:31 a.m. local time after a member of the public reported a car being driven towards pedestrians and a man being stabbed. Firearms officers discharged their weapons at 9:38 a.m., shooting the suspected offender.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told the BBC earlier that people should avoid the area but reassured the public that "the immediate danger appears to be over." ■
