At least two victims have died and three others are in a serious condition after a car and knife attack outside a synagogue in Manchester in the United Kingdom, authorities said.

Greater Manchester Police said officers were called at about 9:30 a.m. to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue after a vehicle was driven into pedestrians and at least one person was stabbed. Armed police declared a major incident and opened fire minutes later, striking a person believed to be the suspect.

Police said they cannot currently confirm if the suspect is dead due to safety issues surrounding suspicious items on his person. The bomb disposal unit has been called and is now at the scene.

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Paramedics arrived at the scene minutes later and were seen treating the victims. 

Police declared "PLATO," a national code-word used by police and emergency services when responding to a "marauding terrorist firearms attack" or other large-scale incidents involving significant threats to public safety.

A large number of people were worshiping at the synagogue at the time of the incident. They were held inside while the immediate area was made safe but have since been evacuated, police said. 

The attack came on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar which ends later today. 

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Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, said with a "degree of reassurance," that the incident is now over.

"It is believed that the offender is deceased, although it’s not confirmed," he told the BBC.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson acknowledged the significance of the timing of the attack. 

"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 spokesperson said in a statement. 

The spokesperson said a member of the public prevented the suspect from entering the synagogue.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is returning early from a visit to Denmark and will chair what he called an "emergency meeting" in London with cabinet ministers and officials.

Starmer said additional police assets are being deployed at synagogues across the country. 

"I’m appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall," Starmer wrote on X.

The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific. My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.