Seven minutes of terror: How a knifeman unleashed horror on Judaism's most sacred day

"But a day of fasting and prayer was shattered when a knifeman ploughed into a worshipper outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall on Thursday morning, before getting out and stabbing bystanders. Within just seven minutes of the first 999 call at 9.31am, the knifeman was shot dead by armed police who feared he would detonate a fake suicide belt strapped to his waist. Officers have been praised for their swift response to the deadly attack, which claimed two lives and has been declared a terrorist incident."

"I was outside and heard a banging sound, and I thought it might be a firework. My husband went outside and then ran back inside and said, 'There's been a terrorist attack'. I spoke to someone who said she was driving and saw a car driving erratically and it crashed into the gates [of the synagogue]. She thought maybe he had a heart attack."

Worshippers gathered for Yom Kippur at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Crumpsall when a vehicle struck a person outside and the driver exited to stab bystanders. Security staff and worshippers quickly barricaded the synagogue and prevented the attacker from entering. The first emergency call came at 9.31am and armed officers shot the assailant within seven minutes after fearing a fake suicide belt. Greater Manchester Police declared Plato and a major incident by 9.37am. The attack killed two people, prompted praise for the rapid police and security response, and was declared a terrorist incident.

Read at www.independent.co.uk