British Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the “vile” synagogue assailant who “attacked Jews because they are Jews” on the holiest day of the year at a Manchester synagogue.

Starmer said the nation must defeat rising antisemitism as he promised to increase security in Jewish communities.

He spoke Thursday after leading an emergency security meeting following what UK police have declared a terrorist attack by an assailant who drove a car into people outside a synagogue and then began stabbing them.

Two people were killed and four seriously wounded on the holiest day of the Jewish year, police said.

“I promise you that over the coming days, you will see the other Britain, the Britain of compassion, of decency, of love”, Starmer said.

The UK prime minister added that he would do everything in his power to guarantee the security that the Jewish community "deserve", starting with "a more visible police presence protecting your community".

Referring to the Holocaust, the Labour Party leader said Jews had come to Britain for refuge after “fleeing the greatest evil ever inflicted on a people".

Officers shot and killed the suspect outside Manchester, police said, though authorities took some time to confirm he was dead because he was wearing a vest that made it appear as if he had explosives. Authorities later said he did not have a bomb.

The Metropolitan Police in London, who lead counter-terrorism policing operations, declared the rampage a terrorist attack.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said two other suspects were arrested, though he provided no further information on the arrests. He said police believe they know the identity of the man who carried out the attack but have not confirmed it.

The attack took place as people gathered at an Orthodox synagogue in a suburban neighborhood of Manchester on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. Police said the two people killed were Jewish.

Antisemitic incidents in the U.K. have hit record levels following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel’s ensuing military campaign in Gaza, according to Community Security Trust, an advocacy group for British Jews that works to eliminate antisemitism.

More than 1,500 incidents were reported in the first half of the year, the second-highest six-month total reported since the record set over the same period a year earlier.