Manchester: I Feel for the Police

[StewkeyBlue]

One of the dead was killed by police gunfire.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx2703lnww4t

They were behind the Synagogue door and a bullet went through.

They take huge responsibility on our behalf.
This tragedy / the impact of this attack just gets worse and worse.

I really feel for the police officer concerned.

Putting themselves out there in front of a terrorist armed with a car, a knife and apparently an explosive vest.

Too dreadful.

For every victim.

Edited as didn't read properly!

Edited as poster realised 😆.

I feel for that police officer too although I'm not sure I would if they'd killed my loved one.

A very difficult read . Nobody goes to work wanting to kill / injure but most of us don’t have to make that snap judgement call , thank goodness .

Indeed, how could any of us know how we would react in the face of such dreadful circumstances.

I like to think that I would still see the terrorist as the perpetrator who caused the chaos and had the murderous intent that caused the police to shoot.

But hopefully will never know my actual reactions for sure.

It’s sad but they have a split second to make a decision and if the reports of him wearing an explosive vest were true the death count could have been a lot higher. I feel for the police and the family of the person who was shot.

Such an awful situation. Armed police have such limited time to decide what to do. On the face of it I'm not sure they had much choice.

I think the police did very well in such a difficult situation.

From what I can gather, this man has driven his car into the building and had begun to kill individuals and he had what looks like explosives strapped to him. If all that turns out to be correct then the police did the right thing in stopping him by any means necessary as they had to assume he was a suicide bomber. Remember the shadow of the Ariana Grande concert casts a long shadow in Manchester especially. They must have been extremely worried.

I caveat this by saying sometimes the initial statements turn out to be wrong, so we will see if the above is actually what happened.

I read one of the injured was also shot by the police on sky news.

I agree with this. It's easy to judge in hindsight now we know the attacker didn't have a firearm and the vest he was wearing was "not viable". But in the moment, you're the police, you've responded to a vehicle ramming and someone stabbing everyone within reach who appears to be wearing an explosive vest and trying to get into a crowded synagogue on the most holy day of the year.

There would have been no armed police there shooting anyone if the terrorist wasn't attacking. As far as I'm concerned every casualty that ensued was the terrorist's fault - either by his own hand, or as a direct consequence of the police stopping him hurting more people.

I agree the police did the best they could in the circumstances.

Anyone using a firearm should be aware of the potential that an innocent person might be behind a closed door, and know this would not afford them protection.
That shot should not have been taken.
We need to hold people entrusted with firearms and their use to the highest standards.

So what would you do faced with someone apparently wearing an explosive device and killing anyone they could? Asked nicely?

Agreed. I’d like to think anyone placed with that level of responsibility would be amongst the highest trained with the best skills in the country.
Taking the shot at another angle would have prevented this tragedy. It’s just awful, awful, awful- all round.

The thing is if he hadn't made that shot many, including that man, probably would have died.

I agree we forget how incredible what these people do on our behalf is.

I'm sure they were aware of that, but on balance felt that taking out the man armed with a knife and potentially having explosives took precedence.

Clearly they needed to be stopped.
But effectively, without endangering innocents.

Sorry that answer was to countrygirl99

Armed officers face unimaginable pressure in moments like these, and the Manchester synagogue attack tragically underscores how high the stakes can be. Armed police responded within minutes and shot al-Shamie dead, fearing he was wearing a viable explosive device—which later turned out to be non-functional. These individuals are trained to respond to threats that could escalate in seconds. In this case, the suspect’s apparent explosive vest and violent actions created a scenario where hesitation could have led to mass casualties inside the synagogue. Officers had to make a split-second decision under extreme stress, balancing the risk of a suicide bombing against the possibility of deception. This tragedy highlights not only the bravery of first responders but also the complexity and danger of their role. It’s a sobering reminder of the human cost of terror—and the split-second decisions that can change lives forever.

So how? What would you have done differently? Would you have spent time getting to a different position during which he could have detonated a device? Or what? You can't just say you wouldn't have done the same without putting what you would have done forward for scrutiny. It's too easy to criticise from your comfortable sofa.

The fact that the suicide vest was a fake is irrelevant, IMO.

Criminals and terrorists know that police will react to a fake gun or explosive as if it was real. What other choice to they have?

And I wouldn't put it past terrorists like this and their supporters to deliberately use fake explosives just to add doubt in future cases that explosives might not be real.

Thus slowing police response and allowing real bombers to bomb.

Where did you do your firearms training?

Are you serious? Do you not think the firearms officers might just have thought of that? Do you have no understanding of how intense their training is?

Your comments are utterly ridiculous and your opinion on whether the shot should have been taken is totally insignificant.

They knew for certain that they had a murderous terrorist in front of them. In the act of attempting to kill people.

We have no idea whether they had time or manoeuvrability to make any other decision.

There will be an inquiry.

The armed forces.
You?