By Chris Slater

Copyright manchestereveningnews

The suspect shot dead following a terror attack outside a synagogue in north Manchester was wearing a vest which had ‘the appearance of an explosive device’, but he was prevented from getting inside the building, the head of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has said. A car was driven ‘directly’ at members of the public before the driver began to attack people with a knife outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, on Middleton Road in Crumpsall, at 9.30am, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have confirmed. Two ‘members of the Jewish community’ have died, and the suspect was shot dead. It has been officially declared a terrorist incident, with the investigation being led by Counterterrorism Police. Never miss a story with the MEN’s daily Catch Up newsletter – get it in your inbox by signing up here Giving a press conference this afternoon, the chief constable of GMP, Sir Stephen Watson, said four people remained in hospital ‘having suffered a variety of serious injuries.’ He said that ‘thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and worshippers inside, and the fast response of the police’, the suspect was prevented from gaining access to the building and was ‘intercepted’ and fatally shot seven minutes after officers arrived. Police believe ‘the identity of the offender has been established’ but said that ‘until we are certain of this face, it is premature to set out this detail, at this juncture” Ch Con Watson said. He confirmed two other people had been arrested in connection with the incident. No further details about those arrests were given. He said: “Enquiries are moving at pace, and very visible and proactive policing activity is ongoing across Greater Manchester and beyond. Updates will be provided as soon as possible. Our priority is to keep the public safe. “At this time, we know that a car was driven directly at members of the public, outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Middleton Road, Crumpsall in Manchester. “The driver of the car, was seen to then attack people with a knife. He was wearing about his body a vest which had the appearance of an explosive device. “There were a large number of worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack, but thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and worshippers inside, and the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access. “All those inside were safely contained until police were able to confirm that it was safe to leave the premises.” He said the thoughts of himself and his officers were with all those affected. “Yom Kippur is a day where we see our Jewish community attending their places of worship – places where they and their families should feel entirely safe from harm” he said. “I want to share my gratitude to all the members of the public who called the police as soon as they saw what was happening – this allowed the quick response from our officers, who were able to act swiftly and bravely to bring this horrendous attack to an end. “I also want to thank our partners from the other emergency services, local authorities, and the health service, who have provided their ongoing support to us throughout the day, and will continue to do so over the coming days. “I know today’s horrific events will have a significant impact on all our communities, not only in Greater Manchester, but across our country,” he continued. “There will be a lot of questions that people would like the answers to, and quickly, but please understand that some of this will take time. “What I can say, is that the highly visible response to these dreadful events will be sustained as we work to understand the full circumstances of what has happened. “I know you will all join me in keeping those directly affected by what has happened, in our thoughts and prayers. There are grieving families and communities at the heart of this in Greater Manchester and beyond. “I would therefore ask that people refrain from sharing disturbing and insensitive content online. If you have information share it with the police. “We stand with all those affected and will continue to do everything in our power to keep our communities safe.” Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE