I saw evil as attacker tried to barge into synagogue, rabbi tells BBC

Worshippers displayed "immediate bravery" in stopping the attacker getting inside, police have said

A rabbi has told of the moment a man tried to barge into his Manchester synagogue during a deadly attack, telling the BBC "I saw evil, I saw hate".

Rabbi Daniel Walker said he and others held the doors of Heaton Park synagogue as Jihad Al-Shamie was "body-charging the doors, throwing heavy plant pots, doing whatever he could to get in".

Praising the quick-thinking of those at the synagogue, he said: "I saw genuine heroism, I have to say, and people who ran to help others rather than running away. It was astonishing."

Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both died after the attacker drove into people and stabbed a man on Thursday.

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Three others remain in hospital with serious injuries. Police have named Jihad Al-Shamie, who was shot dead at the scene, as the attacker and are treating the attack as a terror incident.

Rabbi Walker said the incident happened before the Yom Kippur service was in full flow, and later there would have been hundreds of people in attendance.

He said: "If one gentleman in particular hadn't acted as quickly as he did and got the doors locked, [we] can imagine what would have happened."

Describing how the incident unfolded, he said a number of people held the doors shut from the inside to make sure the attacker could not get in.

At some point after the police arrived, rabbi Walker said two other people inside the building were hurt.

One man was killed and another person injured by police gunfire, Greater Manchester Police has said.

A statement from the force named the man fatally shot by police as Mr Daulby.

Alan Levy, the synagogue's chairman of trustees told ITV News he heard Al-Shamie shouting "this is what they get for killing our children", before "banging his knife into the glass, trying to get through".

Speaking to the BBC, rabbi Walker said he would do his best to offer comfort to the families of those killed and the wider community.

"There is fear but there is also support", he said.

"I believe and hope that we can provide reassurance and hope. I believe very strongly that we can't allow this to beat us".

The prime minister and witnesses have praised rabbi Walker and the security guards as "heroes" for their actions.

When asked by the BBC if he saw himself as a hero, he said: "I'm not sure that is accurate".

However, Mr Levy told ITV described rabbi Walker and others as heroes.

"We were barricading the doors between us with Rabbi Walker and a number of the other congregants. He couldn't get in because we were holding the doors firm."

The family of Mr Daulby has also paid tribute to their "hero" who died during "the act of courage to save others".

"The family is shocked by the tragic, sudden death of such a lovely down to earth man" the tribute added, as the family asked for privacy to grieve.