(LONDON) -- Two people were killed and four were wounded when a suspect drove a car into a group of worshippers and launched a stabbing attack outside a synagogue in Manchester, England, officials said.
Responding police shot and killed the suspect, Manchester police said, adding that two other suspects have been arrested.
Police have declared it a terrorist incident.
The attack occurred Thursday morning outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, which is in a northern suburb of Manchester, officials said.
The suspect -- who was wearing a vest with "the appearance of an explosive device" -- drove a car directly at worshippers outside the synagogue and then attacked people with a knife, police said.
The four wounded victims have been hospitalized with serious injuries, police said.
The attack came as worshippers were gathered to mark Yom Kippur, which is considered the holiest day of the year in Judaism.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a post to X that 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," the prime minister added.
"My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders," Starmer wrote.
Starmer was in Copenhagen, Denmark, for a summit with European leaders when the incident occurred. The prime minister said he was returning to the U.K. and would be chairing an emergency "COBRA" meeting -- a gathering of senior officials to discuss and respond to national emergencies.
Starmer also said additional police are being deployed to synagogues across the country.
"We will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe," he added.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a post to X he was "horrified by the violent attack."
Khan said he had spoken with his counterpart in Manchester and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, "and would like to reassure Londoners that the Met Police are stepping up patrols in Jewish communities and synagogues across London."
King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, said in a statement they were "deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services," the statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in the U.K. also condemned the attack, saying in a statement, "That such an act of violence should be perpetrated on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, in a place of prayer and community, is abhorrent and deeply distressing. ... The thoughts and prayers of the people of Israel are with the victims, their families, and the entire Jewish community at this difficult time."
ABC News' Victoria Beaule and Zoe Magee contributed to this report.
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