HOSPITALS across Manchester have reportedly been put on “lockdown” after a suspected terrorist attack at a synagogue.
Several people were injured after a car was driven into a crowd and people were stabbed outside Heaton Park synagogue earlier this morning.
ReutersHospitals across the city have reportedly been locked down in the wake of the attack[/caption]
SWNSA huge emergency response rushed to the scene this morning[/caption]
PAArmed officers shot the suspect at the scene[/caption]
Cops said a man – who is believed to be the offender – was shot by firearms officers on the scene at 9.38am, it is believed the suspect is deceased.
Following the suspected terror attack several of Manchester’s biggest hospitals were reportedly placed on “lockdown.”
The Manchester Evening News reports that Salford Royal, Fairfield General, Rochdale Infirmary, and the Royal Oldham hospitals are all “on lockdown” after the incident.
The Sun has contacted the NHS trust for comment.
Heightened security is being implemented in the wake of the suspected terrorist attack.
The Prime Minister has said additional police assets are being deployed to synagogues across the country.
Greater Manchester Police declared PLATO and a major incident at 9.37am.
This means terrorism could be involved, but it is not yet confirmed.
The synagogue has been cordoned off with a huge emergency response team still at the “active scene.”
A lorry marked “bomb disposal” has since arrived and entered the cordon.
And, in video shared on social media, an onlooker could be heard saying that the suspect “has got a bomb on him” and appeared to be trying to press a button to detonate it.
“He’s going to blow himself up, he’s trying to press the button,” the person is heard to say – before there was the sound of a gunshot and the person fell to the ground.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has said “it is believed that the offender is deceased.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer – who is flying back from Denmark early to chair Cobra – said: “I’m appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall.
SWNSFire crews, police, ambulances and bomb disposal are currently on the scene[/caption]
PAParamedics rushed to respond to the incident after it was reported that four people were injured[/caption]
Story Picture AgencyA security guard was allegedly attacked with a knife[/caption]
“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.”
What we know so far…
Cops were called to Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Greater Manchester at 9.31am
A witness said a car was driven towards members of the public and a man had been stabbed
Police declared PLATO and a major incident at 9.37am
PLATO refers to the agreed national response protocol in the UK for a “marauding terrorist attack”
A man – believed to be the attacker – was shot 9.38am
Cops confirmed four people were injured by both the vehicle and stab wounds
What is a Cobra meeting?
A Cobra meeting involves a cross-departmental committee that comes together to respond to national emergencies.
Its aim is to make fast, effective decisions in a crisis and coordinate the response of the central government.
The committee brings together senior government ministers and civil servants, security and intelligence officials, military chiefs and leaders of the emergency services and councils, depending on the nature of the crisis.
The Prime Minister usually chairs the meetings, which are held in the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms and are most commonly take place in Briefing Room A – leading to them being referred to as Cobra.
Cobra meetings are called at times of national crisis, owing to events either at home or abroad.
Mayor Burnham told BBC Radio Manchester people had gathered for a Yom Kippur service outside the synagogue.
He said: “It is believed that the offender is deceased, although it’s not confirmed.
“So, that’s what I meant in saying that a degree of reassurance can be given that it’s not a developing, an ongoing, incident.
“It would appear that it is contained, although, obviously, the scene is very much an active scene.”
Greater Manchester Police 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.
“GMP declared PLATO and a major incident at 9.37am. Shots were fired by Greater Manchester Police firearms officers at 9.38am. One man has been shot, believed to be the offender.
“Paramedics arrived at the scene at 9.41 and are tending to members of the public, currently four members of the public with injuries caused by both the vehicle and stab wounds.
“Members of the public are asked to avoid the area while the police continue to deal with the incident.”
Witnesses were heard shouting ‘he’s got a bomb’
SWNSA bomb disposal lorry has since arrived and entered the cordon[/caption]
PASpecialist officers were seen alongside what appears to be a bomb disposal robot[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
