One of the victims of Thursday’s attack at synagogue was shot by police during their attempts to bring the unarmed attacker under controlThe 35-year-old attacker was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alertedGuard who shut attacker out of building praised for saving lives
“It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad Al Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP’s Authorised Firearms Officer,” the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) statement said.
“It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end.”
The two men killed during the terror attack were named by police this morning.
Greater Manchester Police named Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, as the victims after Jihad Al-Shamie drove into a group of people outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue before stabbing a man.
Three others remain in hospital with serious injuries.
The terrorist was a British citizen of Syrian descent, police have said.
Three people have been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) added.
A forensic technician works at the scene of attck. Photo: Reuters
Al-Shamie, 35, who is understood to have entered the UK as a young child and been granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was around the age of 16, was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the attack in Crumpsall, Greater Manchester, on Thursday morning.
The force said two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.
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It is understood that Al-Shamie’s name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service records, and he is not thought to have been under investigation.
GMP said officers were “working to understand the motivation behind the attack” and confirmed the killer had not been referred to the Government’s Prevent anti-radicalisation scheme.
He appears to have lived in Prestwich, around two miles from the scene.
His name is linked to a property in the town and a neighbour recognised his face from photographs of the synagogue attacker.
She told The Telegraph: “He lived there 10 years, with no wife or kids that I could see. He never seemed to speak to anyone around here.”
She added: “I’d see him walking around in his pyjamas and slip-on sandals, carrying a shopping bag.
“He was quite bulked up and used to keep his exercise weights in his garage. I’d see them there.”
Reports suggest Al-Shamie’s father is a doctor. A Facebook profile of a Faraj Al-Shamie features numerous political posts about Syria and also includes a picture of a man, reported to be Jihad Al-Shamie, holding a baby in 2024 with the words “great welcome grandson”.
A dramatic picture of Al-Shamie shows the moment he stood outside the synagogue with unidentified objects strapped to his waist, initially thought to be an explosive device which police later said was not viable.
Three men remain in hospital with serious injuries after Al-Shamie – who is yet to be formally identified – rammed into people with a car before stabbing a man outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue.
Among the men in hospital, one was stabbed and a second was hit by the car.
A third man “presented himself at hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker”, police said earlier. It is now understood this man may have been mistakenly shot by police.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited an unnamed synagogue on Thursday evening after he vowed to do “everything in my power” to protect Jewish communities in the UK.
Shabana Mahmood greets a police officer as she arrives at Crumpsall Lane. Photo: Reuters
Former Tory minister Grant Shapps told The Times that his father-in-law, Michael Goldstone, came “face-to-face” with Al-Shamie from inside the synagogue, where he is a member of the congregation.
Mr Shapps told the newspaper: ““He was face-to-face with the terrorist, holding the inside of the door, as he tried to break down the front doors.
“The chap had turned up 10 minutes earlier before the car came back and smashed into the security.
“They locked the doors when the car crashed into the gate, which prevented more killings.”
Elsewhere 40 people were arrested in Whitehall on Thursday evening during a protest organised by the Global Movement for Gaza UK, Scotland Yard said.
Posters shared on X called for pro-Palestine activists to meet at various locations around the UK between 5.30pm and 6pm on Thursday in support of Greta Thunberg’s flotilla, which was intercepted by the Israeli navy earlier this week.
One protester, Fiona Smith, 42, told The Telegraph: “I don’t give a f*** about the Jewish community right now.
“I thought about it and I’m sorry about what happened, but the whole story and why we’re here is because of what happened yesterday [with the flotilla].”
Pro-Palestine activists were also pictured marching through the streets of Manchester city centre on Thursday evening.
