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.

Image source, Reuters

Following that latest update from police, here's everything we know so far:

The victims:

• Two people have died following an attack at the Heaton Park synagogue in north Manchester
• Three more members of the public are in a serious condition, police say

The suspect:

• Another person - a man believed to be the suspect - was shot by Greater Manchester Police and is also believed to be dead, officers say
• But police say the suspect's condition cannot be confirmed due to "suspicious items on his person", with a bomb disposal unit at the scene

The attack:

• Police received reports of a car being driven towards people, and a man holding a knife, outside the synagogue on Middleton Road in Crumpsall, Manchester at about 09:30
• The attack took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar
• Police say 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"
• An eyewitness, talking to BBC Radio Manchester, describes seeing a man "bleeding out on the floor" and another holding a knife - the witness, Gareth, says police soon arrived and gave the man holding a knife "a couple of warnings" before they "opened fire"

Emergency meeting:

• PM Keir Starmer is flying back early from a summit in Denmark to chair an emergency meeting - he says there'll be extra police "assets" at synagogues across the UK and the fact this happened on Yom Kippur "makes it all the more horrific"

Image source, Getty Images

We're now hearing from the King, who says he and Queen Camilla are "deeply shocked and saddened" to hear about the attack in Manchester.

"Especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community," he says in a statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services."

Greater Manchester Police says "three other members of the public remain in a 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," it adds.

The bomb disposal unit has been called and is now at the scene, Greater Manchester Police says.

Image source, Getty Images

More from the police now: "A third person, a man believed to be the offender, was shot by GMP Firearms Officers and is also believed to be deceased."

Police say the suspect's condition cannot be confirmed due to "suspicious items on his person", with a bomb disposal unit at the scene.

Greater Manchester Police says two people have died following the major incident.

Olivia Gold, who lives in the area, came to see what was happening when she heard helicopters overhead.

"It's just horrendous," she tells PA Media. "We're a quiet community, just leave us alone. We don't want any of this.

"It's just four people who have been injured - thankfully no one was killed as far as I know.

"I think the response by police has been absolutely brilliant. They got here really, really quickly."

Image source, PA Media

Video footage appears to show moment police open fire at Manchester Synagoguepublished at 12:04 BST 2 October

12:04 BST 2 October

By Matt Murphy

Warning: This post contains graphic content

As we've been reporting, BBC Verify has authenticated footage circulating online which appears to show the moment police opened fire on a man at the Manchester Synagogue.

In the clip - which appears to have been taken by a passerby - two armed officers can be seen standing pointing their weapons at a figure lying prone on the ground.

As the camera pans, a different person is seen lying at the gate to the synagogue surrounded by a pool of blood and a black car stopped immediately to his right.

One of the officers then approaches the fence, where a small group of people had gathered, and shouts: "Everybody else, he has a bomb. Go away."

Seconds later the figure being watched by police appears to attempt to stand up. Sharp cracks ring out and the man falls to the ground.

Today's incident comes on Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

And we're now seeing images of people gathering outside the synagogue in Manchester where the stabbing took place.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Prime Minister Keir Starmer says "additional police assets" will be deployed at synagogues across the country after the attack in Manchester.

Speaking as he flew back to the UK from a summit, to chair an emergency meeting on the incident, Starmer says: "We will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe."

Warning: This post contains graphic content

Our colleagues at BBC Radio Manchester have been speaking to Gareth, an eyewitness, who says he was driving his delivery van at the time of the incident.

He says he was held back in traffic, assumed it was a "normal collision", but as he got closer he saw a man "bleeding out on the floor".

Gareth says he saw another man "laying on the floor" in front of a car, and he could hear people shouting.

He then describes seeing another person, a man, who he says had a knife and was "stabbing the window" of a nearby building "trying to get in".

"Within seconds, the police arrived, they gave him a couple of warnings, he didn’t listen so they opened fire," Gareth explains, saying the man holding the knife then went down on the floor.

The man then "started getting back up and they [the police] shot him again", Gareth says - describing it as "nerve-racking" to see.