Sacha Baron Cohen says synagogue attack is 'part of surge in hatred'

Sacha Baron Cohen has condemned the terrorist attack on a Manchester synagogue as 'part of the biggest surge in hatred of Jews since the Nazis'.

The North London-born actor and comedian, who is Jewish, voiced his concern to his 1.2million followers on Instagram just days after Islamist terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester on Thursday.

Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both members of Manchester's Jewish community, were killed during the murderous rampage, which coincided with Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Another three people remain in hospital.

In an update last night, police said six people are now in custody on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack - comprising three men and three women aged between 18 and 60.

Taking to Instagram to share his thoughts, Baron Cohen said the attack had occurred amid rising levels of antisemitism and warned it was 'not a one-off' - as antisemitism advocates said today that 'extremism and incitement have been allowed to grow' in the UK.