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Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that one of the victims killed during a Yom Kippur terror attack at a shul may have been struck by gunfire from armed officers responding to the scene. The victims were identified as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Kravitz hy”d, 66, though it wasn’t clear which one had been shot by police. Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said forensic evidence indicates that the terrorist, identified as Jihad al-Shamie, was not armed with a firearm during Wednesday’s attack. “The only shots fired were from GMP’s Authorised Firearms Officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community,” Watson said. A Home Office pathologist confirmed that one victim sustained a gunshot wound. Police believe the injury “may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence” of officers’ actions to halt the attack. Another victim also suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Both were reportedly standing close together behind the shul door as mispalelim fought to block the attacker’s entry. In total, three people were wounded in the attack. Watson praised the community’s response, saying, “It is believed that both victims were close together behind the synagogue door, as worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry.” He added: “Our thoughts and prayers remain with all of the families, and the wider community, impacted by this incident across Greater Manchester and beyond. Specialist officers are providing support and care for all of those directly affected, including our brave first responders.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The White House confirmed Thursday that President Donald Trump is preparing to establish a clear red line for how long Hamas will be given to agree to a ceasefire framework that has Israel’s backing, Reuters reported.

Although no fixed enforcement date has been officially announced, Trump said earlier in the week that Hamas had three to four days to answer the offer, which calls for the terrorist group to surrender its weapons — a demand Hamas has repeatedly refused in the past.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt appeared on Fox News, where she was pressed on when the administration would consider Hamas to have walked away from negotiations.

“Well, it’s a very good question, and it’s a red line that the president of the United States is going to have to draw. And I’m confident that he will,” Leavitt responded.

She stressed the effort put into creating the proposal. “The president and his team worked very hard on this 20-point, comprehensive, detailed plan that has been applauded all over the world.”

“This is an acceptable plan, and we hope and we expect Hamas should accept this plan so we can move forward,” she added.

Earlier this week, CBS News reported that Hamas was leaning toward agreeing to Trump’s initiative to bring the conflict to a close.

But by Wednesday morning, a Hamas representative told the BBC that the organization was more likely to turn it down, insisting the deal “serves Israel’s interests” and “ignores those of the Palestinian people”.

The following day, the BBC reported that mediators from Qatar and Egypt had spoken with Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, the leader of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza. He made his opposition to the plan unmistakably clear.

According to that report, al-Haddad argued that the American proposal is structured to bring an end to Hamas’s rule regardless of whether they agree, and therefore he sees no reason to accept it — saying Hamas must continue its fight.

{Matzav.com}

Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said Thursday night that the terror strike in Manchester on Yom Kippur was the inevitable outcome of the steady rise of antisemitism across the country.

“Our hearts are shattered. Emerging from the holy fast of Yom Kippur, British Jews are now grasping the full extent of today’s terror attack at the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester,” Rabbi Mirvis wrote in a message posted on X.

“This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come. For so long we have witnessed an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, on campuses, on social media and elsewhere – this is the tragic result,” he added.

He explained that the massacre was “not only an assault on the Jewish community, but an attack on the very foundations of humanity and the values of compassion, dignity and respect which we all share.”

Rabbi Mirvis also shared that he had spoken personally with Rabbi Daniel Walker, the rov of Heaton Park Synagogue. “His courageous leadership, together with the resilience of his congregation, are an inspiration to us all,” he continued.

“May the victims’ memories be for a blessing and may the injured be granted a swift recovery. I pray that this tragedy strengthens our collective resolve to confront antisemitism, in all its guises, once and for all,” concluded Rabbi Mirvis.

The attack, which occurred outside the Manchester shul on Yom Kippur, left two Yidden murdered and three others in serious condition.

Witnesses described a vehicle suddenly racing toward the crowd standing outside the building. After hitting multiple people, the assailant got out of the car and began stabbing before he was stopped by police. Authorities called in bomb disposal experts and later confirmed the assault was a terrorist attack. They also announced that two people had been taken into custody.

Amid the chaos, Rabbi Daniel Walker saved many lives by shutting and blocking the doors of the shul, preventing the terrorist from forcing his way inside after striking and stabbing mispallelim outside.

{Matzav.com}

WATCH:

A U.S. immigration judge has denied a bid for asylum from Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose case has become a proxy for the partisan power struggle over immigration policy. The judge in Baltimore on Wednesday rejected an application to reopen Abrego Garcia’s 2019 asylum case, but that is not the final word. Abrego Garcia has 30 days to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals. The Salvadoran national has an American wife and children and has lived in Maryland for years, but he immigrated to the United States illegally as a teenager. In 2019, he was arrested by immigration agents. He requested asylum but was not eligible because he had been in the U.S. for more than a year. But the judge ruled he could not be deported to El Salvador, where he faced danger from a gang that targeted his family. He was mistakenly deported to El Salvador by President Donald Trump’s administration in March and was held in a notorious prison, and his case soon became a rallying point for those who oppose the Republican president’s immigration crackdown. Facing a ruling from the Supreme Court, the administration returned him to the U.S. in June, only to immediately charge him with human smuggling. Abrego Garcia faces criminal charges in Tennessee, based on a 2022 traffic stop. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is also seeking to deport him to a third country, proposing Uganda first and then Eswatini, a small country in southern Africa where the king still holds absolute power. His attorneys have denounced the criminal charges and the deportation efforts, saying they are an attempt to punish him for standing up to the administration. Abrego Garcia’s request to reopen his asylum case is a calculated risk. If approved, asylum could provide him with a green card and a path to citizenship. But if he loses, an immigration judge could remove his protection from being returned to his native country. That could place him back in the infamous Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT. It’s where, he alleges in a lawsuit, he suffered severe beatings, sleep deprivation and psychological torture. El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, has denied those allegations. Trump administration officials have waged a relentless public relations campaign against Abrego Garcia, repeatedly referring to him as a member of the MS-13 gang, among other things, despite the fact he has not been convicted of any crimes. His lawyers have filed motions requesting a gag order and say he will not be able to receive a fair trial because of the “highly prejudicial, inflammatory, and false statements” made about him. While the federal judge in Tennessee can order prosecutors there not to make any prejudicial statements about Abrego Garcia, it is unclear whether the judge’s authority extends to the Department of Homeland Security, which posted about the immigration court ruling on X on Wednesday. “His lawyers tried to fight his removal from the U.S. but one thing is certain, this Salvadoran man is not going to be able to remain in our country,” according to the post. (AP)

UK counter-terror officials announced that the terrorist who carried out the horrific assault outside a Manchester shul on Yom Kippur has been identified as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British national with Syrian roots.

Police emphasized that official confirmation of identity has not yet been finalized but stated clearly that Al-Shamie is believed to have been behind the murderous attack.

“We are now able to confirm that, although formal identification is yet to take place, we believe the person responsible for today’s attacks is 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie. He is a British citizen of Syrian descent,” authorities said in a statement cited by CNN.

Investigators reported that Al-Shamie had not previously been flagged to the UK Home Office’s Prevent program, a cornerstone of Britain’s counter-terror strategy.

Law enforcement also revealed that three other people have been arrested in connection with the atrocity. The suspects include two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s, all held “on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.”

Greater Manchester Police confirmed earlier that the terrorist was neutralized by armed units who shot him dead at the scene.

The attack was carried out on Yom Kippur, the most sacred day in the Jewish year, as mispallelim gathered for tefillah.

In the middle of the chaos, Rabbi Daniel Walker, the rov of the shul, displayed remarkable courage by blocking the entrance of the shul, preventing the terrorist from storming inside after already ramming into and stabbing Jews outside. His quick action spared countless lives.

{Matzav.com}

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the United States that supplies of long-range missiles to Ukraine will seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington but will not change the situation on the battlefield where the Russian army is making slow but steady advances. The potential supply of U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv will signal a “qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the U.S.,” Putin said at a forum of foreign policy experts in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi. The Russian leader noted that even though Tomahawk missiles will inflict damage on Russia if supplied to Ukraine, Russian air defenses will quickly adapt to the new threat. “It will certainly not change the balance of force on the battlefield,” he added, emphasizing that the Russian military is continuously making gains against Ukraine. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Putin’s remarks. At the same time, Putin hailed U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to help negotiate peace in Ukraine and described their August summit in Alaska as productive. “It was good that we made an attempt to search for and find possible ways to settle the Ukrainian crisis,” he said, adding that he felt “comfortable” talking to Trump. While praising Trump and trying to emphasize potential common interests, including nuclear arms control, the Russian president sent a stern warning to Ukraine’s Western allies against trying to seize ships that carry Russian oil to global markers. He argued that would amount to piracy and could trigger a forceful response while sharply destabilizing the global oil market. Asked about the detention of an oil tanker off France’s Atlantic coast, which President Emmanuel Macron linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of aging tankers of uncertain ownership that are avoiding Western sanctions, Putin cast it as an attempt by Macron to distract public attention from his country’s own internal problems. He strongly warned the West against such action, arguing that it defies international maritime law and could trigger a forceful response. “The risk of confrontation will seriously increase,” he added. Putin also scoffed at Western claims of possible Russian involvement in recent drone flights over Denmark, casting them as part of purported NATO efforts to “inflame tensions to boost the defense spending.” “I won’t do it anymore — to France, Denmark, Copenhagen, Lisbon — wherever they could reach,” he said with a sardonic grin. Asked about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Putin called it a “heinous crime” that reflected a “deep split” in American society. He hailed Kirk as a hero killed for promoting the same conservative values that Russia shares. Putin also praised Michael Gloss, an American and the son of a deputy CIA chief, who joined the Russian military and was killed in action in Ukraine in 2024. He said he had awarded Gloss with a medal, which he handed to Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff during his visit to Moscow. The Russian leader likened Gloss to Kirk, saying they championed similar “traditional” values. “He gave his life while defending those values as a Russian soldier, and Kirk gave his life while fighting for the same values in the United States,” Putin said. In response to questions about Gloss, the CIA said in a statement that the agency “considers Michael’s passing to be a private […]

Trump says US is in ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels after ordering strikes in the Caribbean President Donald Trump has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and says the United States is now in a “non-international armed conflict,” according to a Trump administration memo, following recent U.S. strikes on boats in the Caribbean. Congress was notified about the designation by Pentagon officials on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The memo, startling in scope, signals a potential new moment not just in the Trump administration’s willingness to reach beyond the norms of presidential authority to wage war but in Trump’s stated “America First” agenda.

Drone video captured homes that collapsed into the ocean on North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Tuesday amid rough surf from dual hurricanes off the Southeast coast. Five homes fell within a 45-minute period on Tuesday afternoon, and a sixth fell overnight.

AS EXPECTED: British police say that the suspect in the deadly attack outside a synagogue in Manchester in northern England is believed to be Jihad al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent. Two members of the Jewish community were killed in the attack. “We believe the person responsible for today’s attacks is 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie,” the Greater Manchester Police says. “He is a British citizen of Syrian descent.” Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed officers after ramming a car into pedestrians and stabbing at least one person near a synagogue during Yom Kippur.

Senior Hatzalah Paramedic Eli Rowe seen in Yerushalyim on Motzei Yom Kippur.

Hagaon HaRav Dov Landau and Hagaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, the Roshei Yeshiva of Slabodka, as Kol Nidrei was beginning.  

No clear path out of the shutdown as White House warns firings could be ‘in the thousands’ •  Shutdown, day 2: The federal government remains shut down after a deadlocked Congress failed to reach a funding deal. Republicans and Democrats are at odds over enhanced Obamacare subsidies. •  How long will it last? The shutdown is likely to extend into next week. Senate Democrats are expected to block a GOP-backed short-term funding bill again when they vote tomorrow, and the Senate is not expected to be in session this weekend. •  Who’s impacted? The White House — which has said shutdown-related layoffs of federal workers are “imminent” — now says the firings are “likely going to be in the thousands.” Agencies and activities deemed essential are still open.

SPEAKER JOHNSON: “Many of you asked me this morning about sombreros and memes…Look, these are games, these are sideshows, people are getting caught up in battles over social media memes. This is not a game.” “To my friend Hakeem: man, just ignore it.”

Over 1,500 mispallelim davened on Yom Kippur at Gan Meir in Tel Aviv for tefillos organized by the Rosh Yehudi organization. A large number of police forces were deployed to the area at the order of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to ensure the tefillos were held without disturbances – and indeed, order was maintained throughout the day.

LEADER THUNE: “I realize that my Democrat colleagues are facing pressure from members of their far left base, but they’re playing a losing game here. A robust majority of American voters are against a government shutdown.”