British authorities have identified the man behind Thursday’s deadly assault outside a Manchester synagogue as Jihad al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent. According to police, al-Shamie drove his car into pedestrians before stabbing a man near the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. The attack unfolded during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Armed officers shot him dead at the scene.
Casualties And Injuries Reported
Two men lost their lives, and at least four others sustained injuries. Three victims remain in hospital with serious wounds. Police confirmed one victim was stabbed, another struck by the vehicle, and a third suffered injuries while officers confronted the suspect.
Terrorism-Related Arrests And Searches
In the aftermath, police arrested three additional suspects, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s, on suspicion of preparing or instigating acts of terrorism. Searches were carried out in Crumpsall and Prestwich, with multiple areas cordoned off as investigators combed through evidence.
Authorities also discovered a suspicious device on the attacker, which was later declared non-viable. Investigators revealed that al-Shamie had not previously been referred to Prevent, the UK’s counter-extremism programme.
Greater Manchester Police commended the ‘quick thinking’ of a passerby who first alerted authorities, as well as the ‘bravery’ of synagogue security staff and worshippers who prevented the attacker from entering the building. Officers arrived within minutes, quickly containing the threat.
“This was a shocking and violent attack on innocent people,” police said in a statement, promising increased patrols and support for the city’s Jewish community.
Leaders Condemn The Attack
Prime Minister Keir Starmer cut short a trip to Denmark to chair an emergency COBRA meeting. In a message on X, he wrote: “I’m appalled by the attack at a synagogue in Crumpsall. The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur makes it all the more horrific. My thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services and all the first responders.”
King Charles expressed that he was “deeply shocked and saddened,” while London Mayor Sadiq Khan described the attack as “incredibly worrying.” Khan also confirmed that the Metropolitan Police would increase patrols around synagogues across the capital as Jewish communities observed Yom Kippur.
