On Thursday, a terrorist attack took place in Manchester at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue on Yom Kippur, the most important holiday in the Jewish religion. The attacker ran over several people with his car and then attacked worshippers with a knife. Armed police officers arrived at the scene within minutes and shot the perpetrator.
British authorities confirmed that two people were killed in the attack and several others were injured, including one of the synagogue’s security guards. As a precaution, the police also called bomb disposal experts to the scene, as suspicious objects were found on the attacker’s clothing, but they have not yet disclosed whether he was carrying an explosive device.
Scotland Yard classified the attack as an act of terrorism. According to their late-night announcement, the suspected perpetrator was a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian origin, Jihad Al-Shamie.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer cut short his visit to Copenhagen, returned home, and convened the government’s special crisis committee, COBRA. He announced that police protection of synagogues would be strengthened across the country. He emphasized that the attack was “particularly appalling” because it was committed on one of the holiest days of the Jewish religion.
King Charles III also expressed his deep shock, noting that the attack took place “at a particularly significant time for the Jewish community.”
In a statement, the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities (Mazsihisz) called the attack the most serious incident of its kind in the last 25 years at this Manchester synagogue, which has been the site of four anti-Semitic incidents.
The organization described the attack despicable, inhuman, and utterly reprehensible, and called on European leaders and European Union decision-makers to use all means necessary to prevent anti-Semitic attacks threatening our continent.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán took to X to express his condolences:
“Today, on Yom Kippur, a synagogue in Manchester was the site of a terrorist attack. Hungary has zero tolerance for antisemitism and is proud to be a country where Jewish communities can practice their faith safely. The rise in attacks against Jews across Europe is unacceptable. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families!”
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Via MTI; Featured photo: Pexels
The post PM Orbán Reacts to Manchester Synagogue Attack: Hungary Stands with Jewish Communities appeared first on Hungary Today.
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