A man carried out an attack on a synagogue in northern England, resulting in the deaths of two Jewish worshipers, as per investigators. The perpetrator, Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, drove a car into pedestrians and attacked individuals with a knife at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester. Armed officers fatally shot Al-Shamie at the scene, who was armed with two knives and appeared to have an explosive belt. One victim died from police gunfire.
The Assistant Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Rob Potts, revealed that Al-Shamie called the emergency number 999 to claim responsibility for the attack and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. The incident occurred during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, resulting in the deaths of Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, with three others sustaining serious injuries.
The attacker was not previously on the radar of counterterrorism police or the counter-radicalization scheme, Prevent, but had a criminal record and was recently arrested for rape. Police suspect his actions were influenced by extreme Islamist ideology. Six individuals were initially arrested in connection with the incident but were subsequently released without charge. Al-Shamie’s family expressed profound shock and disassociation from his actions.
Antisemitic incidents in the UK, Europe, and the US have seen a notable increase in the past two years, particularly since the conflict in Gaza. The Community Security Trust reported over 3,500 incidents in 2024, making it the second-worst year on record after 2023 for antisemitic occurrences.
