GMP earlier said they couldn’t confirm the suspect’s death because of “suspicious items” on the body, which were being dealt with by bomb disposal officers.
The force first posted on X that officers were responding to calls at the synagogue in Crumpsall at 9:31 a.m. local time (4:31 a.m. ET).
The attacker drove directly at members of the public outside of the synagogue before attacking people with a knife, GMP Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said at the same news conference where Taylor spoke.
He was wearing a vest that gave the appearance of an explosive device, Watson said, adding that worshippers prevented the suspect from gaining access to the synagogue.
Within seven minutes of the attack, the suspect was shot and killed by police, Watson said.
“We can confirm that two members of our Jewish community have sadly died as a result of this attack,” he said, adding that four people had been injured in total and remained in hospital.
A video uploaded to social media, which was verified by NBC News, shows a man lying on the ground outside the synagogue while two officers point their guns at him. When the man tries to get up an officer fires a single round.
The same video shows a man wearing a Jewish yarmulke lying in a pool of blood just yards away.
Watson said it “will take time” to understand the full circumstances of the attack.
In a separate post on X, GMP said a large number of worshippers were kept inside the synagogue right after the attack but have since been allowed to leave.