'Attacks strike a chord with people of all faiths and none': Mid Wales Jewish community member heartbroken by Manchester synagogue attack
A Jewish community member has spoken of his shock at the "ghastly" attack on a Manchester synagogue which left two people dead and more in hospital.
The attacker struck on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar while people worshipped at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall in Greater Manchester.
Police said the attacker used a car and a knife in the attack shortly before 9.37am today (Thursday) leaving two people dead and four in hospital.
The attacker, who was wearing a vest resembling an explosive device, was shot dead by police within seven minutes of the initial call.
A bomb disposal unit was sent to the synagogue in the aftermath of the incident, while two further people have been arrested by counter-terrorism police.
Mark Michaels, a former chair of South Shropshire Interfaith Forum and a member of the Shrewsbury Interfaith Forum and the Mid Wales and Border Jewish Group, spoke of his sadness at the attack.
Mr Michaels, from Montgomery in Powys, was at a synagogue in Cardiff to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
He said: "It is ghastly and resonates right through the Jewish community.
"As yet it is still a very unclear situation, but the whole community - our thoughts are with our friends in Manchester."
Mr Michaels said he was horrified at the thought of someone trying to attack anyone while in the act of prayer.
He said: "Whether it is at the synagogue in Manchester, or a couple of years ago in Pittsburgh, whether it was the attack in Christchurch, when there is an attack on people in prayer it strikes a chord with people of all faiths and none."
Mr Michaels said people at the Cardiff synagogue had been stunned at the news, but added that while it was shocking, it was not entirely unexpected.
He praised the response of the police, both in Cardiff, who had moved to reassure worshippers, as well as in Mid Wales, with officers making contact with him in his role with the Mid Wales and Border Jewish Group.
He said: "The police reaction has been fantastic, there are police here looking after the community and our little group which is based around Welshpool - we don't have a synagogue - but I have had a call from Welshpool police just to check everything is okay.
"We could not have asked for more."
At a press conference, the Metropolitan Police’s head of counter-terrorism policing, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, said the identity of the suspect is known to police, but it could not be disclosed because of “safety reasons at the scene”.
Footage shared on social media appeared to show members of the public shouting to firearms officers that the suspect had a bomb strapped to him.
A picture of the alleged attacker, circulating online, showed a man with a beard and dark clothing standing outside the synagogue with unidentified objects strapped to his waist.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said “additional police assets” would be deployed at synagogues across the country following the attack.
Sir Stephen Watson Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police said security staff and worshipers helped prevent the attacker from gaining access to the synagogue.
He told reporters: “There were a large number of worshipers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack, but thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and the worshipers inside, as well as 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.”
