Police say they have made two further arrests.

Counter-terrorism Policing Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor is now speaking.

Stay with us for the latest updates, and you can follow along by clicking Watch live at the top of this page.

We're waiting for Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, of the counter-terrorism police, to make a statement to the media.

While Taylor speaks, we're also due to hear from Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson.

You'll be able to follow along with both statements right here.

We'll also shortly be hearing from Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson.

He's due to make a statement to the media at 15:15 BST.

Stay right here on this page for the latest updates from his statement.

Here is a reminder of where the attack happened:

We're expecting to hear from the head of counter-terrorism policing shortly.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor is due to make a statement to the media at around 15:00 BST.

We'll bring you the top lines from his statement here - stick with us.

Mark Farlow, a scaffolder from Ashton, was working on the road when the armed police turned up in response to the attack.

"There was a lot of commotion," he says.

Police have closed off some of the roads. Farlow says he saw the arrest, but he "couldn't really make out a face".

"It's been absolute chaos."

Crumpsall is usually "quiet" and "calm" but this incident has left Mark "fairly worried".

"It's just horrific - you've got loss of life here," he says solemnly.

"The first thing that struck me was the shocked silence," says BBC journalist Danny Savage who is at the scene in Manchester.

You can catch up on Danny's full report from Crumpsall in the video below.

We have some more now from Greater Manchester Police.

Police say a loud noise heard at the scene of the attack was a result of specialist resources used to "gain entry to the suspect’s vehicle as a precaution".

They say there is "no risk to the public and ongoing activity in relation to this major incident can be expected as we continue our enquiries".

People are advised to "avoid the area" and speak to police if they have any concerns.

Police in Manchester confirm that three people have died, including the suspect, who was shot by firearms officers.

To recap, police earlier said two people had died following the attack and that a third - thought to be the attacker - was presumed dead but this couldn't be confirmed due to "suspicious items on his person".

Three other people are in a serious condition.

A SAS helicopter has been seen flying over the scene in Crumpsall.

The air service, dubbed "Blue Thunder", is part of an airborne counter terrorism initiative.

Final clearance to use the aircraft comes from government officials such as the COBR (Cobra) emergency committee, who are due to meet in person this afternoon.

Image source, PA Media

A witness says he saw two men in handcuffs on a residential street being led away by police.

The man, who did not want to be identified, lives on White House Avenue - close to the Heaton Park Synagogue - which he says is usually "very quiet".

He told the PA news agency: "They’ve arrested two people on our road." He added that he did not know the men.

"They’ve closed the road and there’s a police helicopter just over us. There were six or seven police cars with armed police," he added.

Greater Manchester Police has not confirmed any arrests linked to the incident. We'll continue to monitor updates from them.

Image source, PA Media

Chris Mason
Political editor

The prime minister will chair a meeting of the emergency COBR (Cobra) committee in the next couple of hours.

We can expect Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to join the meeting, alongside Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and senior police officers.

The scale and severity of the attack this morning became apparent very quickly, given the speed of the PM’s decision to immediately return from the meeting of the European Political Community in Denmark's capital Copenhagen.

I'm told Keir Starmer was briefed on events in Manchester and has since said he spoke to Burnham and to Mark Gardiner of the Community Security Trust, which works to protect the Jewish community.

As you’d expect, there have been expressions of revulsion and horror from across the political parties.

For context: COBR meetings involve a gathering of senior ministers and officials in London to coordinate the emergency response to a crisis - COBR stands for Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms.

A cordon remains in place around the synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, as police continue their investigation.

A heavy police presence remains in place, as members of the Jewish community gather nearby.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, PA Media

Anna Jameson
Reporting from the scene

Crumpsall is a multi-cultural area in Manchester.

I spoke to Bethany who says she lives next door to a Sikh family. Next to them is a Muslim family. Across the road is a Jewish family. "We all get on," she told me. "Hatred is just not welcome here."

Bethany says she’s waiting to see if she can pick up her children because their school has been put on lockdown. Two hospital trusts – Fairfield Hospital in Bury and the Royal Oldham – have also been put on lockdown as a precautionary measure.

People are terrified – I spoke to a group of Jewish men, dressed in white for Yom Kippur, who say they were unable to speak on camera because it’s such an important day in the religious calendar.

But they tell me they have been really scared of something like this happening.

Synagogue had scheduled prayer service at time of attackpublished at 13:33 BST 2 October

13:33 BST 2 October

By Matt Murphy

According to a schedule posted on the Heaton Park Synagogue's website, worshippers were due to gather for a prayer service to mark Yom Kippur shortly before this morning's attack occurred.

Yom Kippur is the Jewish faith’s holiest day during which people reflect on the past year and atone for their sins.

According to the schedule posted on Heaton Park Synagogue's website, a Shacharis - a morning prayer service - was due to begin at 09:00.

Officers were called to the scene at 09:31.

Anna Jameson
Reporting from the scene

Image source, Getty Images

A loud controlled explosion has just been heard at the police cordon in Crumpsall.

The bomb disposal unit is understood to be at the scene.

Image source, Reuters

We're continuing to bring you live updates as we get them. In the meantime, here's a timeline of the attack as set out by police - and key events since:

09:31 BST: Police receive reports of a car being driven towards members of the public outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, and a man being stabbed.

09:37: Greater Manchester Police (GMP) declares Operation Plato - which we explain here - and a major incident.

09:38: Shots are fired by GMP firearms officers. The force later says a man - thought to be the suspect - has been shot and is believed to be dead, but because of "suspicious items on his person" they aren't able to confirm his condition.

09:41: Paramedics arrive at the scene and tend to injured members of the public. Police initially say four people are thought to have been injured.

10:45: Images begin appearing from the scene, with police and ambulance workers seen wearing helmets and stab proof vests, and a bomb disposal robot.

11:08: Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemns the attack and says the fact it's taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, "makes it all the more horrific".

12:11: Police confirm two people have died and a third person - believed to be the suspect - is also presumed dead. Three more people are in a serious condition, GMP adds.

BBC Verify can confirm that a still image said to show the perpetrator of today's attack in Manchester was taken from just outside the perimeter fence of the scene of the attack.

The individual's appearance - bald head, beard, dark clothes, white objects around his waist - matches that of a man seen apparently being shot by police at the same location in verified video from the scene of the attack.

No copies of the image have been found to have been uploaded prior to today's attack. The photograph was taken on the western side of the Heaton Park synagogue.

Aleem Maqbool
Religion editor

Image source, Getty Images

The timing of an attack on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar feels to many like it is designed to maximise the hurt felt across Jewish communities.

Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and atonement and believed to be the day God seals the fate of each person for the coming year.

It is a solemn day on which work is forbidden and is set aside for prayer and reflection.

It is also a day when many who do not regularly attend synagogue services do so. As such, security is often increased on Yom Kippur.

An attack on a synagogue in Halle, Germany in 2019 in which two people were killed also took place on Yom Kippur. Some Jews do not access social media or television during this holy day, so many may only find out about Manchester attack at nightfall.

We can bring you footage as the incident unfolded, which shows police trying to get members of the public away from the suspect.

"Everybody else, get back. If you're not involved, move back, get away... he has a bomb, go away," an officer can be heard shouting.