Warning: the following article contains images some readers may find distressing.
The deadly attack at a synagogue in Manchester is the main story in Friday’s papers. “A hate-filled knifeman unleashed terror at a synagogue on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar,” leads the Metro’s top story. The paper reports on eyewitness testimonies describing the man as acting like a “robot” before approaching the synagogue. It also notes the “heroic” act of Rabbi Daniel Walker, reporting that he and others managed to barricade the doors and stop the suspected attacker from entering the synagogue.
“Bravery of rabbi and worshippers saves many lives” the i Paper reports. It says that a “hero security guard” helped stop the knifeman outside the entrance to the synagogue. In other news, Taylor Swift’s new album The Life of a Showgirl is out and a temporary deal due to be struck between the UK and EU to help drive down energy costs.
The Guardian quotes its own sources as saying the attacker, named as Jihad Al-Shamie, did not appear “in initial searches of counter-terrorism systems”.
Details of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s response to the Manchester attack are the focus of the Financial Times’ main story. It reports that Sir Keir returned to London early from a diplomatic trip to Copenhagen and declared the attack a “terrorist incident” during a televised address to the nation. Elsewhere, the paper reports that Japan is “days away from running super dry of favourite beer after Asahi cyber attack”. Domestic breweries have remain closed since Monday, meaning Asahi Super Dry beer could soon disappear from pubs and shop shelves, the paper reports.
The Daily Telegraph leads with Israel’s reaction to the Manchester attack. It has remarks from Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar who “issued a scathing statement” accusing the British government of “allowing anti-Jewish hatred to take hold and flourish”. In a separate story, the paper reports on the Prince of Wales saying he is “not afraid to make changes the monarchy needs” when he becomes King.
In the Daily Mail’s top story, the paper focuses on what is known about the suspect. The paper reports he was an “Islamic terrorist” not previously “known to counter-terrorism police”.
Under the headline “Terror at the synagogue”, the Daily Mirror reports that the “hero Rabbi” saved “countless lives”. “Jewish communities are braced for a wave of violence,” it says. A headline about the Princess of Wales says “how kids learned to cope with Kate’s cancer”.
The Daily Star leads with “2 killed in horror on Jewish holy day”. The suspect drove his car “directly at members of the public outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation” before he “started stabbing anyone near him”, according to police and witnesses who spoke to the paper.
“Terror on holiest day” is the headline on the Daily Express.
Police are on “heightened alert” for “potential copycats” of the attack, says the lead story in the Times. It includes remarks from the prime minister, reporting he “warned antisemitic hatred was ‘rising once again’ as police were deployed to protect Jewish sites of worship across the country”.
“7 minutes of evil” is the headline on the Sun’s front page. The paper reports on the actions of Rabbi Daniel Walker, who “calmly locked others behind his temple’s doors”.
All of the front pages lead on the Manchester synagogue attack.
The front page of the Times has a black masthead and the headline “terror on Yom Kippur”. It has spoken to the former defence secretary, Sir Grant Shapps, who says his father-in-law came “face-to-face” with killer while “holding the inside of the door”, as he tried to break his way into the synagogue.
The reaction from the chief rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis leads the online edition of the Jewish Chronicle. He says he prays that “this tragedy strengthens our collective resolve to confront antisemitism, in all its guises, once and for all.”
The Daily Telegraph says Israel has blamed the prime minister after the attack. It highlights comments by the Israeli foreign minister who said the authorities “failed to take the necessary action to curb this toxic wave of antisemitism”. The article says Sir Keir has pledged to “guarantee” the security of the Jewish community.
In its editorial, the Daily Mail criticises Sir Keir’s response as a “depressing stream of platitudes and glib cliches”. But the Guardian’s comment page is far kinder to the prime minister. It harks back to Sir Keir’s conference speech on Tuesday, when he said Britain faced a choice between division and decency. The article says “the road to decency is the one that we must take” .
The “i” says Britain and the EU are set to introduce a temporary deal to stop UK companies being harmed by the bloc’s planned carbon tax. It says the import levy on goods produced using polluting energy-intensive methods threatens to “drive up bills, hit jobs and stifle growth”.
“Japan days away from running super dry of favourite beer” declares the Financial Times. It says Japanese shops are expecting shelves to be empty of Asahi Super Dry, after a cyber attack hit breweries in the country.
