A hero rabbi stopped the Manchester synagogue attacker from getting inside the building by barricading the doors.
Rabbi Daniel Walker jumped into action after the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue came under attack.
He blocked the entrance of the “packed” building, protecting those inside, as the incident unfolded on the outside.
Dramatic pictures showed the attacker, who police say had been “armed with a bomb”, attempting to smash his way into the synagogue before being shot.
Chava Lewin, who was in the synagogue, told The Daily Mail: “My friend saw him crash the car near the synagogue.
“At first, she thought he’d had a heart attack. Then he got out and started stabbing everyone he could get to.
“Rabbi Walker was incredibly calm, he shut the doors to the synagogue to stop him getting inside.
“He barricaded everyone inside. He is a hero, this could have been even worse.”
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The rabbi shut the doors to the synagogue, preventing the attacker from getting inside
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PA
The attacker was shot dead at the scene.
Rabbi Walker was seen outside in his white kittel shortly after the scene, the traditional robes worn by Jewish religious leaders.
Chava Lewin continued: “Some of the congregation were inside at the time, but others were still arriving.
“We saw someone being resuscitated in the courtyard. It’s so scary, we just don’t feel safe now.
Police declared the situation a ‘major incident’
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REUTERS“To think someone would choose today of all days to attack us is horrifying.”
Rabbi Walker serves as the co-chair of the community and interfaith committees of the JRC.
He has been the Rabbi of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation since 2008.
Sir Keir Starmer is flying home to chair a Cobra meeting, saying he was “appalled” by today’s incidents.
The Prime Minister continued: “The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.”
Three people are confirmed to have died in the incident today, with three others in a serious condition.
A police spokesman said: “We know today’s horrifying attack, on the Jewish community’s holiest day, will have caused significant shock and fear throughout all of our communities,” the spokesman continued.
“We are grateful to the member of the public whose quick response to what they witnessed allowed our swift action, and as a result, the offender was prevented from entering the synagogue.”