Manchester synagogue attack

Last updated

Manchester synagogue attack
Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation (geograph 4299474).jpg
The Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, where the attack occurred, pictured in October 2015
Manchester synagogue attack
Location Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, Higher Crumpsall, Manchester, England
Coordinates 53°31′12″N2°14′55″W / 53.52000°N 2.24861°W / 53.52000; -2.24861
Date2 October 2025 (2025-10-02)
9:31 (BST (UTC+01:00))
Attack type
Weapons
  • Car
  • knife
Deaths3 (including the attacker)
Injured3
AssailantJihad Al-Shamie

The Manchester synagogue attack was a terrorist attack that occurred on 2 October 2025, during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, when a man drove a car into pedestrians before stabbing worshippers at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, a synagogue in Higher Crumpsall, a northern suburb of the city of Manchester in North West England.

Contents

Three people were killed in the incident, including the attacker and a worshipper who were both shot dead by police. Three other people were injured and treated in hospital; one was hit by the car, one had a stab wound and the third was wounded by police gunfire. The incident was declared a terrorist attack later that day.

The attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, was a 35-year-old British citizen born in Syria who lived nearby in Prestwich.

Background

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, a day centred around atonement and repentance, with full fasting and asceticism accompanied by extended prayer services and the confession of sins. [1]

British Jews have raised concerns about increased vandalism at synagogues and antisemitic comments online and in person, latterly due to the Gaza war, ongoing since 2023. These have also been positioned as part of an ongoing wave of antisemitism in Britain that was rising even before the war began. [2] [3] Jewish security groups, including Community Security Trust, issued warnings earlier in the summer for Jewish people to "be vigilant and follow the strict security measures that are in place at communal buildings, events and areas" such as locking all doors when not in use, conducting security sweeps, and avoiding congregating outside communal buildings. [4]

Incident

Witnesses reported that they had seen a man, later identified as the attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, "acting suspiciously" outside the synagogue approximately 15 minutes prior to the attack. He left after being confronted by security. [5] Police were called to Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall at 9:31 am BST on 2 October 2025, after callers reported that a driver had driven into pedestrians and begun stabbing people. [6] The attacker himself called 999 and pledged allegiance to Islamic State. [7] Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers declared a major incident and arrived at the scene within seven minutes, shooting the attacker dead at 9:38 am. Residents reported seeing a man with a knife jump out of a moving car that had been driven recklessly. He began stabbing people; others saw people on the ground bleeding. [8] Worshippers had gathered for a Yom Kippur service, which had begun at 9 am. [9] Eyewitnesses inside the synagogue praised rabbi Daniel Walker for protecting congregants by locking them inside the synagogue and keeping the attacker out, before moving them to safety. [10] According to a witness inside the synagogue, the attacker banged his knife on the glass as he tried to get in, shouting "this is what they get for killing our children". [11]

Firearms officers were deployed at 9:34 am as police received further reports that a security guard had been attacked with a knife. GMP declared a major incident shortly before shots were fired by firearms officers at 9:38 am, killing a man believed to be the attacker [12] as well as a worshipper. [13] [14]

At 9:37 am GMP initiated Operation Plato, a protocol used in response to suspected terrorist attacks. The incident was formally declared a terrorist attack later that day. [15] [16] Paramedics arrived at 9:41 am and treated four members of the public for injuries caused by the vehicle and stab wounds. [9] [17]

Around noon, a bomb disposal unit was deployed to the scene because police believed the attacker was wearing a suicide belt. [18] [6] Police said that they were unable to confirm whether the attacker was dead until the investigation concluded. [16] Investigators would later state the device was "found to be not viable". [6] At 1:23 pm, a loud controlled explosion was reported, [19] which was later confirmed to be from the police gaining access to the attacker's car. [20] Police presence was increased at every synagogue in the Greater Manchester area in the immediate aftermath of the attack. [21] [18]

In a statement on 3 October, Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said that one of the dead victims and one of the hospitalised victims were likely accidentally shot by firearm officers. [13] [22]

Victims

Three men were confirmed dead following the attack, including the attacker, who was shot by police. The two fatal victims, identified as 53-year old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, were Jewish. According to police, Daulby was accidentally shot by officers, [22] [23] and died due to the gunshot wound. [2] Daulby and another victim who was wounded were believed to have been standing behind the synagogue doors, blocking entry. [16] Police also said that three people were seriously injured and remain in hospital in a serious condition; one has a stab wound, one was hit by the car, [16] and the third was wounded by police gunfire. [23] [16] [2]

Attacker

The attacker was identified as Jihad al-Shamie, a 35-year-old Syrian-born man who as a young child had migrated to the United Kingdom with his family from Homs, [24] [25] following his father who had already settled in England in the 1990s. [26] He had naturalised as a British citizen in 2006 while still a minor. [27] Al-Shamie grew up in Prestwich until around 2010, when the family moved to nearby Crumpsall. [28] The Guardian reported that it appeared that Al-Shamie had Islamic marriages to three different women. Al-Shamie fathered two children with one of the wives, and lived in Prestwich with this wife, their children and his mother. [29] In 2025, al-Shamie was arrested on suspicion of an alleged rape earlier in the year. [29] [30] One of his wives, a Muslim convert, from whom he had initially hidden his other marriages and whose request for a divorce he had refused, reported to police after the attack that he had also raped her. [29] She described al-Shamie as "controlling and abusive". [31]

The mosque at which al-Shamie worshipped, Masjid Sunnah Nelson, was reported to the Charity Commission in November 2023 by the National Secular Society for divisive and antisemitic rhetoric. [32] The mosque's imam, Abul Abbaas Naveed, had referred to Jews as "treacherous" in October 2023, [33] and had taught that a husband has "the first and last word" in a household. [32] Sunnah Nelson is associated with the Salafi movement. [33]

At the time of the attack, al-Shamie resided in the Langley Crescent area of Prestwich, located 2 mi (3.2 km) from the synagogue. [34] [35] According to one of his neighbours, al-Shamie "didn't stand out" and never spoke about politics. [36] He had not been a part of the Prevent counter-terrorism programme that tries to identify people at risk of being radicalised. [37] Although al-Shamie was not known to counter-terrorism police, he had a criminal record with convictions for several minor offences, and at the time of his death was free on bail under investigation for rape. [30] [37] Police are also investigating if he was the author of a death threat sent to Conservative MP John Howell in 2012 after Howell expressed support for Israel. [37] [38] [39]

Following the attacks, al-Shamie's father released a statement believed to have been made on behalf of the family denouncing the attacks. [40] [41] Work by investigative journalists uncovered social media posts where the father had previously expressed support for the Hamas-led attacks on IDF bases during the 7 October 2023 attacks and the 2024 Iranian air strikes on Israel. The posts were deleted after the reporting. [41] [42]

Investigation

The national head of counter-terrorist policing announced the attack was being treated as a terrorist incident, and that three people other than the assailant have been arrested in two separate areas. [27] Two men in their thirties in Crumpsall and a woman in her sixties in Prestwich were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism following the attack. [43] Three more arrests occurred the following day, consisting of a man and two women aged from 18 to their mid-40s. [44] On 3 October police were seeking to further detain all six people. [43] On 5 October police were granted a further five days to question four people on suspicion of preparation for terrorist acts, two men aged 30 and 32 and two women aged 46 and 61. [45]

Investigators said they were "still trying to locate and examine all of the suspect's electronic devices, looking for clues as to what radicalised him" and are looking for "an Islamist motive but are looking for evidence to confirm or rebut that theory". [46]

Reactions

Prime Minister Keir Starmer returned from a European Political Community leaders' meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, to chair a COBR emergency meeting. [15] Starmer said at a press conference that the attacker targeted "Jews because they are Jews" and said that the United Kingdom "must defeat this rising hatred". [47] He said that "extra police assets" would be deployed to synagogues across the country due to the attack. [16] Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood echoed this, saying the government "will do whatever is required to keep our Jewish community safe." [46] Mayor of London Sadiq Khan likewise announced there would be a "stepping up (of) patrols in Jewish communities and synagogues across London" by the Metropolitan Police. [18] Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham commended the quick response of the Greater Manchester Police and raised concerns about the fear and sadness caused by the attack, saying that the city would not allow "division in our communities". [46] [48]

Mahmood urged the cancellation of pro-Palestinian marches after the terror attack, backing police calls to halt a major protest planned for Saturday in Trafalgar Square. Hours after the attack, clashes broke out between demonstrators and police outside Downing Street, while Mahmood separately denounced such protests as "un-British", "dishonourable", and "insensitive" to Jewish communities. [49] Defend Our Juries defended its intention to go ahead with a protest against the proscription of Palestine Action on the Saturday following the attack, saying that conflating the actions of Israel with Jewish people around the world could fuel antisemitism. [50] Dave Rich, the head of policy at the Community Security Trust, founded to provide security to Britain's Jewish community, called the decision "remarkably self absorbed and insensitive". [51]

British Jews expressed shock and concern over the attack, with Britain's chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis highlighting the rise in antisemitism and that the attack was the result of the unchecked rise. [3] British Christian and Muslim community leaders condemned the attack and offered prayers and support to the Jewish people in the UK. [48]

King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were "deeply shocked and saddened" and that their "thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident". [52] The Prince and Princess of Wales also praised the swift actions of emergency services. [53] Amnesty International UK expressed sadness over the events, calling it a "horrific act of violence that has taken the lives of two innocent people and injured many more". [54]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed sympathy, saying "Israel grieves with the Jewish community in the UK after the barbaric terror attack in Manchester", adding "as I warned at the UN: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it." [55] [46] Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar accused the British authorities of not doing enough to curb rising antisemitism in Britain, stating that "blatant and rampant antisemitic and anti-Israeli incitement" had become common. [56]

The deputy prime minister, David Lammy, was booed and barracked on 3 October when he addressed a vigil in Manchester. [23]

On 4 October, a previously planned pro-Palestinian protest was held in north Manchester, with over 100 in attendance. [57]

The Daily Telegraph reported that Abul Abbaas Naveed in October 2023, the imam of al-Shamie's mosque, Masjid Sunnah Nelson, made derogatory remarks about Jewish people, quoting a hadith regarding Zaynab bint Al-Harith that he said "shows us the traits of the Yahud [Jews], how treacherous they are and how much they betray and oppress people". Naveed denied responsibility for al-Shamie's radicalisation, saying that there was "nothing in the teachings itself" that would have radicalised him. [33] Naveed had also used inflammatory rhetoric about women and non-Muslims. [32]

The National Secular Society, which in 2023 reported the charity behind Masjid Sunnah Nelson to the Charity Commission for extremist rhetoric, along with over 40 other Islamic charities, [58] said that "charities promoting divisive or extremist rhetoric under the guise of 'advancing religion' serve no public benefit", and called on the government to "reform charity law to ensure that only organisations which genuinely advance the public good – rather than fuel division or violence – are afforded charitable privileges". [32] The Charity Commission responded saying that it had given "guidance" to the mosque about not using "inflammatory language". The Campaign Against Antisemitism said that regulators must take stronger action to ensure that "radical extremism in the name of religion will no longer be tolerated". [33]

Characterization as an antisemitic attack

Alan Rusbridger, writing in The Independent , opined: "The prime minister, Keir Starmer, was right to describe [al-Shamie's] actions as 'a terrorist attack to inflict fear. Attacking Jews because they are Jews.' It was, in other words, antisemitism". [59] In a statement addressed to the House of Commons, Home Secretary Mahmood called the attack an "act of antisemitic terrorism ... that was carried out by a terrorist pledging his allegiance to the warped ideology of Islamism." [60] In the House of Lords, the attack was labelled as an antisemitic act by the Deputy Home Secretary David Hanson and the Liberal Democrat politician Dee Doocey, among others. [61] GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson called it an "antisemitic terrorist atrocity". [62]

Writing in Prospect magazine, the scholars Brendan McGeever, Ben Gidley, and David Feldman said that "hopefully we can all agree that what happened in Manchester was unambiguously antisemitic". [63] Jay Michaelson wrote in MSNBC.com, "This attack was 100% antisemitic ... synagogues are not military targets, and British Jews ... are not soldiers ... Nor, as far as I'm aware, did the terrorist ask his victims what they thought of Zionism or the Netanyahu government. He ran into the crowd with his car and stabbed people because they were Jews." [64] In The Independent, Howard Jacobson asked: "Can we agree now ... that an attack on a synagogue in Crumpsall, so far from Gaza, so innocent of colonial ambition, is as pure an expression of Jew-hatred as Jew-hatred gets?" [65]

Aftermath

On 16 October, the synagogue reopened two weeks after the attack. [66] On 17 October, a security guard injured in the incident when he was struck by the car being driven by al-Shamie was discharged from hospital.

See also

References

  1. "Yoma 85b". Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Wilkinson, Peter; Kottasová, Ivana (3 October 2025). "Police admit they shot dead Manchester synagogue victim, as attack puts spotlight on antisemitism in UK". CNN . Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  3. 1 2 Sanchez, Raf; Holmes, Alex; Smith, Alexander (3 October 2025). "Manchester synagogue attack stokes antisemitism fears in U.K.'s Jewish community". NBC News . Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  4. Burgess, Kaya (2 October 2025). "British Jews feared an attack like Manchester was coming". The Times . Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  5. Davies, Maia; Rawnsley, Jessica (2 October 2025). "Manchester synagogue attack: What we know so far". BBC News . Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Shear, Michael D. (2 October 2025). "Two Killed in Terrorist Attack on Manchester Synagogue on Yom Kippur". The New York Times .
  7. Murphy, Catherine; Humphries, Jonny (8 October 2025). "Al-Shamie pledged allegiance to 'IS' in 999 call". BBC News . Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  8. Thomas, Ed (6 October 2025). "Footage shows Jihad Al-Shamie before attack". BBC News .
  9. 1 2 Sinmaz, Emine (2 October 2025). "Police shoot suspect after stabbing at synagogue in Manchester". The Guardian . Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  10. "Manchester rabbi hailed as hero for barricading synagogue door amid deadly terror attack". The Times of Israel . 2 October 2025. ISSN   0040-7909 . Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  11. "'This is what they get for killing our children': Eyewitness recalls words of synagogue attacker". ITV News . 5 October 2025. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
  12. Sutherland, Callum (2 October 2025). "'Horrific' Attack at U.K. Synagogue Leaves Two Victims Dead and Others Injured". TIME . Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  13. 1 2 Gribben, Paul (3 October 2025). "One victim killed in Manchester synagogue attack hit by police gunfire". BBC News . Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  14. "Manchester Synagogue attack victims 'died saving others'". BBC News . 3 October 2025. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  15. 1 2 "Synagogue stabbing latest: Police at scene of reported attack in Manchester". Sky News . 2 October 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Manchester synagogue attack: Family of victim say he was 'hero' who 'lost his life in act of courage'". BBC News . 3 October 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  17. "Major incident declared following incident on Middleton Road". Greater Manchester Police . 2 October 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  18. 1 2 3 Montgomery, Samuel; Sigsworth, Tim (2 October 2025). "Manchester synagogue attack live: Two dead after 'terror' stabbing". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  19. "Manchester synagogue attack: Live updates". BBC News . 2 October 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  20. "Police confirm source of 'loud bang' heard at Manchester synagogue terror attack scene". Manchester Evening News . 2 October 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  21. "Update in relation to ongoing major incident on Middleton Road in Crumpsall". Greater Manchester Police . 2 October 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  22. 1 2 Tabahriti, Sam; McKay, Hannah (3 October 2025). "UK police say officers accidentally shot victim who died in synagogue attack". Reuters . Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  23. 1 2 3 "Victim killed in Manchester synagogue attack was shot by police". Financial Times . 3 October 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  24. "UK synagogue attacker: Briton of Syrian descent". Radio France Internationale . 3 October 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  25. McLouglin, Paul (3 October 2025). "'Not known to us': Manchester's Syrian community shocked after Crumpsall synagogue killings". The New Arab .
  26. "Britain offered home to Syrian family of killer who repaid the favour in cold blood". The Daily Telegraph . 3 October 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  27. 1 2 "Manchester synagogue attack: Suspect named as police make three arrests". Sky News . 3 October 2025.
  28. Al-Othman, Hannah; Halliday, Josh; Sinmaz, Emine (3 October 2025). "What do we know about Jihad al-Shamie, the Manchester synagogue attacker?". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  29. 1 2 3 Halliday, Josh (8 October 2025). "Wife of synagogue attacker says he showed no signs of extremism". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  30. 1 2 Halliday, Josh; Mason, Rowena; Dodd, Vikram (3 October 2025). "Manchester synagogue terrorist was on bail for alleged rape". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  31. "Woman recalls 'abusive' marriage with Manchester synagogue terrorist". ITV News . 10 October 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  32. 1 2 3 4 Kampfner, Constance; Ellery, Ben (9 October 2025). "Jihad al-Shamie's mosque 'previously reported for antisemitism'". The Times . Archived from the original on 10 October 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  33. 1 2 3 4 Sigsworth, Tim; Johnston, Neil (10 October 2025). "Manchester terrorist attended mosque where imam called Jews 'treacherous'". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  34. "Police name Manchester attacker who killed two at synagogue". BBC News . 3 October 2025.
  35. "Who Is Jihad Al-Shamie? Manchester Synagogue Attacker Identified". Newsweek . 3 October 2025.
  36. "Neighbour of Manchester attacker says Jihad al Shamie 'did not stand out'". Sky News . 3 October 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  37. 1 2 3 Luck, Flaminia (3 October 2025). "Manchester synagogue attacker was on bail for alleged rape". LBC . Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  38. Bolton, Will (3 October 2025). "Police investigate whether synagogue terrorist sent death threats to MP". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  39. Hamilton, Fiona (3 October 2025). "Police investigate if synagogue attacker Jihad al-Shamie threatened MP". The Times . Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  40. Halliday, Josh; Al-Othman, Hannah; Boffey, Daniel (3 October 2025). "Father of Manchester synagogue attacker condemns 'heinous act'". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  41. 1 2 Humphries, Jonny; Mullen, Tom; Hirst, Lauren (3 October 2025). "Jihad Al-Shamie: Who was the Manchester synagogue attacker?". BBC News . Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  42. 1 2 "Armed police storm street 'where Manchester synagogue attacker Jihad Al-Shamie lived' as neighbour says he saw car used in attack there days ago". Manchester Evening News . 3 October 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  43. Waddington, Marc; Humphries, Jonny (3 October 2025). "Manchester synagogue attack investigation sees three more arrests". BBC News . Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  44. "Police given extra time to question four arrested over Manchester synagogue terror attack". Sky News . 5 October 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  45. 1 2 3 4 McEwen, Kirsty; Lawther, Fran; Campbell, Lucy; Davies, Caroline; Ambrose, Tom (2 October 2025). "Synagogue attacker who killed two was a 'terrorist targeting Jews because they are Jews', says Starmer – latest updates". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  46. Stockwell, Billy (2 October 2025). "Starmer says Manchester synagogue attacker targeted Jews 'because they are Jews'". CNN . Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  47. 1 2 Frayer, Lauren (2 October 2025). "U.K. police label Manchester's deadly synagogue attack as a 'terrorist incident'". NPR . Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  48. Hymas, Charles; Holl-Allen, Genevieve (3 October 2025). "Cancel pro-Palestine marches, Home Secretary demands". The Daily Telegraph .
  49. Lynch, David; Thompson, George; Garnsworthy, Jenny; PA (3 October 2025). "Defend Our Juries vows to continue with protest despite pleas from Met". The Irish News . Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  50. Vinter, Robyn (4 October 2025). "UK antisemitism 'allowed to grow', Jewish security group says before pro-Palestine protests". The Guardian .
  51. "A message from The King following the attack in Manchester". www.royal.uk. 2 October 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  52. Kensington Palace (2 October 2025). "Our thoughts are with the victims and the families of the terrible attack at Heaton Park Synagogue…". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  53. "Amnesty International UK response to the attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue". Amnesty International . Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  54. Berman, Lazar (2 October 2025). "Netanyahu seems to swipe at Starmer over Manchester attack: 'Weakness in the face of terror only brings more terror'". The Times of Israel . ISSN   0040-7909 . Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  55. Hallam, Mark (2 October 2025). "Manchester: 2 killed in synagogue car, knife attack". Deutsche Welle . Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  56. Rowe, Helen; Taix, Caroline (4 October 2025). "Over 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters rally in UK after fatal synagogue attack". Agence France-Presse . Retrieved 4 October 2025 via Yahoo! News.
  57. "NSS refers 40+ Islamic charities to regulator over extremism fears". National Secular Society . 29 November 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  58. Rusbridger, Alan (4 October 2025). "After the horrific attacks in Manchester we must defend the right to protest". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 October 2025.
  59. Mahmood, Shabana (13 October 2025). "Oral statement to Parliament: Manchester synagogue terror attack". GOV.UK. House of Commons.
  60. "Manchester Terrorism Attack Debate, Lords Chamber". parallelparliament.co.uk. 15 October 2025.
  61. Burnell, Paul (6 October 2025). "'No stone left unturned' in Manchester synagogue attack probe". BBC.
  62. McGeever, Brendan; Gidley, Ben; Feldman, David (21 October 2025). "The difficult truth about antisemitism". Prospect Magazine.
  63. Michaelson, Jay (3 October 2025). "Why progressives must urgently condemn the antisemitic attack on a U.K. synagogue". MSNBC.com.
  64. Jacobson, Howard (3 October 2025). "After Crumpsall, is anywhere in Britain safe for us Jews now?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 October 2025.
  65. Moritz, Judith; Mullen, Tom; Wittenberg, Daniel (16 October 2025). "Synagogue reopens two weeks after Manchester attack". BBC News . Retrieved 17 October 2025.