Police name Manchester attacker who killed two at synagogue

A man who carried out an attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday which left two Jewish people dead and three others injured has been named by police as Jihad Al-Shamie.

Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British man of Syrian descent, drove a car at people outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue before attacking bystanders with a knife. He was shot dead by police at the scene.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said three further people had been arrested as part of the investigation and declared it a "terrorist incident".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the attack, which took place on Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

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Sir Keir said that "additional police assets" would be deployed at synagogues across the country, while London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said that "high visibility" policing in and around synagogues in the capital would also be "stepped up".

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the attack in Crumpsall, north Manchester, was the "tragic result" of an "unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, campuses, on social media and elsewhere".

"This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come," he added.

The three injured men include one who was stabbed, a second who was struck by the vehicle and a third who later went to hospital with an injury "that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker", GMP says.

GMP said that two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s had been arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.

A spokesman for the force added that a suspicious device worn by the attacker during the incident had been assessed and found not to be a viable explosive.

He added that no referrals related to Al-Shamie had been made to Prevent - the government's anti-radicalisation scheme.

It is understood that Al-Shamie entered the UK as a young child, and was granted British citizenship in 2006 as a minor.

An image taken at the scene showed Al-Shamie, who was later shot dead by police, with items around his waist

Police responded to reports of a car driving at members of the public at 09:31 on Thursday morning, after which officers quickly declared a major incident.

Eyewitnesses describe how security staff prevented the attacker from getting into the synagogue.

Video footage from the scene shows armed officers pointing their weapons at a man on the ground, warning people the man has "a bomb on him" and urging bystanders to back away.

At 09:38, as the man tries to get up, officers shoot him - just seven minutes after the initial call to the police.

Officers, synagogue security and rabbi Daniel Walker were commended by the prime minister for preventing a worse tragedy.

Rabbi Daniel Walker was praised as a hero for the way he protected the congregation during the attack

Sir Keir returned to the UK early from a summit of European leaders in Denmark in response to the incident, and later visited an unnamed synagogue.

Speaking from Downing Street after a Cobra emergency committee meeting, Sir Keir condemned the "terrorist attack", adding the suspect "attacked Jews because they are Jews".

Addressing the Jewish community in the UK, he said: "I promise you that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve, starting with a more visible police presence, protecting your community.

"I promise you that over the coming days, you will see the other Britain, the Britain of compassion, of decency, of love."

Robin Simcox, commissioner for countering extremism, told the BBC's Newsnight programme that there was an "early indicator" that the attack was "Islamist" because of the dummy suicide vest the suspect was wearing.

He added: "Something pretty fundamental has changed in the UK over the past couple of years, where Jews are now openly saying they don't feel safe and they're not sure if they see a future for themselves in the United Kingdom."

A witness at the scene says prayers had started when the attack happened but Rabbi Daniel Walker, who was leading the service, remained calm as he and others led the congregation to safety.

A woman, who described herself as a religious Jew who lives next door to the synagogue, says that as soon as the suspect got out of the car he "started stabbing anyone near him".

She told the Daily Mail: "Rabbi Walker was incredibly calm, he shut the doors to the synagogue to stop him getting inside.

"He barricaded everyone inside. He is a hero, this could have been even worse."

GMP chief constable Sir Stephen Watson said there had been many worshippers inside the synagogue at the time of the incident.

He praised security staff and worshippers who had shut the attacker out, saying that thanks to the "immediate bravery of security staff and the worshippers inside, as well as the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access".

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said: "Tonight, our first thoughts are with the families of those people who died, those injured and those traumatised by this, an horrific antisemitic attack on our Jewish friends and neighbours. We condemn it outright.

"Greater Manchester will never stand aside when one of our communities is attacked."

On Thursday evening, a GMP spokesman said crime scenes remained in place on White House Avenue, Crumpsall and Langley Crescent, Prestwich, which were linked to the arrests made earlier.