A man carrying an axe made anti-Semitic threats to a group of Jews in a town near Manchester, on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

The man was reportedly inside a vehicle close to a synagogue in the town of Prestwich, which has a sizeable Jewish community, when he made the threats on Oct. 3, according to The Manchester Evening News.

Police were called to the scene, and later the same day arrested a 45-year-old man suspected of possessing a weapon and committing a racially motivated public order crime.

The man was let out on bail until October 31.

“This was unfortunately a very ugly incident and we are glad that the police response has been so speedy and correct,” said a spokesman for the Jewish group Community Security Trust, according to The Manchester Evening News.

Steve Wightman-Love, of GMP’s Prestwich Police Team , said: “This incident remains under investigation and officers in the case are continuing to make enquiries.

“However, I wish to remind everyone that we take all reports of hate crime extremely seriously.

Source: Jewish News / ManchesterEveningNews