A man in England on Thursday – Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar – rammed his vehicle into people at a synagogue, killing two and injuring four others, according to authorities, who called the attack a terrorist incident. 

Assistant Metropolitan Police Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the head of counter-terrorism, said that the attack had been declared a terrorist incident and the suspect was fatally shot by police, according to NBC News.

Two people were killed during the attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, and three others were in “serious condition,” he said.

The incident occurred at about 9:41 a.m. local time in the city of Manchester, and the suspect was reportedly fatally shot by police.

Greater Manchester Police initially said in an X post that the suspect could not be identified because of “suspicious items” on his body, as they were being dealt with by bomb disposal officers.

Authorities believe they know the identity of the suspect but are “unable to confirm at this stage,” Taylor said. Two arrests were also made in connection with the attack.

London's Metropolitan Police, which is responsible for dealing with all counter-terrorism investigations in the United Kingdom, has taken over the investigation from Greater Manchester Police.

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said Thursday that the attacker drove directly at members of the public outside of the synagogue before attacking people with a knife. The suspect was wearing a vest that looked like an explosive device, he said, adding that worshippers prevented the suspect from gaining access to the synagogue.

The suspect was shot and killed by police within seven minutes of the attack, Watson said.

“We can confirm that two members of our Jewish community have sadly died as a result of this attack,” he said, adding that four people had been injured and remained in hospital.

The police posted earlier on X that a member of the public reported having "witnessed a car being driven toward members of the public" and that one "man had been stabbed" near the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, an area with a large Jewish community.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer posted on X that he was “appalled” by the attack.

“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,” said Starmer, whose wife, Victoria, is Jewish.

He later told reporters at a European Summit in Copenhagen that he was immediately traveling back to London to chair a meeting of COBRA, the UK's emergency response committee.

The Israeli Embassy in London said regarding the attack, “That such an act of violence should be perpetrated on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, in a place of prayer and community, is abhorrent and deeply distressing.”

King Charles III said in a statement that he and Queen Camilla were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”