Overview

• Police shot the attacker after he drove into people and stabbed bystanders outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Crumpsall, leaving three seriously injured.
• The assault occurred on Yom Kippur, when many observant Jews were offline, intensifying the shock within the community once they learned of the violence.
• Social media and comment threads quickly filled with false-flag allegations and claims involving Mossad, reviving long-standing antisemitic tropes including blood libel.
• Some online reactions tried to link the killings to Gaza or UK politics, effectively blaming British Jews for the actions of the Israeli state.
• Local residents, security volunteers, congregation members and Greater Manchester Police were praised for bravery and visible solidarity with the Jewish community.