Two people were killed after an assailant reportedly drove a car into pedestrians and a stabbed a security guard near a synagogue in Manchester in northwest England on Thursday, British police said, adding that officers had shot the suspect.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said officers had been called to Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the north Manchester district of Crumpsall after a witness said they had seen a car driven at members of the public and that one man had been stabbed.

Armed officers responded and a man, believed to be the offender, was shot, GMP said in a statement.

Two people had been confirmed dead and three others were in a serious condition.

The suspect was also believed to be dead but police said it could not be confirmed "due to safety issues surrounding suspicious items on his person".

A bomb disposal unit was summoned and was now at the scene, they said.

A video shared on social media and verified by Reuters showed police shooting a man inside the synagogue’s perimeter, while another man lay on the floor in a pool of blood, appearing to wear a traditional Jewish head covering.

Police had earlier said that reports indicated that a security guard had been attacked with a knife. (Reuters)