UK Police Arrest Two Suspects in Manchester Terror Plot

British authorities have arrested two individuals suspected of planning an attack on the Jewish community in Manchester, exactly one year after a deadly incident at the Heaton Park synagogue. The arrests were made on Sunday afternoon when police raided a house in Newton Street, North Manchester, detaining the suspects on terror-related charges. Subsequent raids targeted a guesthouse in Salford and an apartment in Liverpool.

The report emerges a day after an attack at the Beth Jacob Synagogue in Quebec, Canada, where a police officer on security detail was seriously injured in a shootout with a 29-year-old assailant. The attacker was critically wounded, and an investigation is underway. Canada's Foreign Ministry condemned the incident as a further escalation of antisemitism, urging action against incitement and anti-Israel policies.

The synagogue's manager described the panic during the shooting, recounting how congregants were rushed to safety. He noted the attacker's clear intent to target Jewish worshippers and expressed regret that prayers could not be completed due to the ongoing investigation.

The Manchester plot echoes a similar attack on Yom Kippur last year, when a knife-wielding assailant drove a car into a group near a synagogue, then exited the vehicle and stabbed security personnel and worshippers. The attacker, who was wearing a suspicious vest, was shot and killed by police. Three worshippers were seriously injured, and two suspects were arrested at the time, leading to increased security around Jewish institutions in the UK. An eyewitness described the fear and a sense of insecurity for Jews in Britain following that attack.