(The Hill) — A car ramming and stabbing attack outside of a synagogue in Manchester, England, on Thursday left at least two dead and several others injured, according to authorities.

Law enforcement officials were called to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue after a member of the public said he had witnessed a car being driven toward members of the public and one man being stabbed, according to Greater Manchester Police. 

“Shots were fired by Greater Manchester Police firearms officers at 9.38am. One man has been shot, believed to be the offender,” the police department said Thursday morning on social platform X. 

The attack took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

Less than two hours later, authorities confirmed that two people died after a “major” incident outside the synagogue. A third person, a man believed to be the suspect, was shot by police and is believed to be dead. 

“It cannot currently be confirmed due to safety issues surround suspicious items on his person,” police said. “The bomb disposal unit has been called and is now at the scene.”

Three other people remain in “serious” condition.

“A large number of people worshipping at the synagogue at the time of the incident were held inside while the immediate area was made safe but have since been evacuated,” the police department wrote online.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” by the attack. 

“The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific,” Starmer wrote Thursday morning on X. “My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders.”