❓WHAT HAPPENED: Syrian immigrant Jihad al-Shamie, who carried out a deadly attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Synagogue in Manchester, England, is revealed to have been an Islamic State (ISIS) acolyte with three wives.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jihad al-Shamie, British police officers, and British Jews, including attack victims Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The morning of Thursday, October 2, outside Heaton Park Hebrew Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, during Yom Kippur, with more information released this week.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Minutes after the first call was made to GMP [Greater Manchester Police] and as firearms officers were making their way to the scene, al-Shamie called 999 claiming responsibility for the attack. He also pledged allegiance to Islamic State.” — Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts
🎯IMPACT: Two people were killed, several others were injured, and the Manchester Jewish community was deeply traumatized.
Jihad al-Shamie, the Syrian immigrant responsible for the deadly attack at a synagogue in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur, called emergency services during the assault to declare his allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that al-Shamie dialed the 999 emergency line just minutes after the first reports of the incident were received, using the call to both claim responsibility and express his support for the Islamic terrorist group. He is also reported to have had three wives, including two white converts.
Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts of Counter Terrorism Policing North West said, “Minutes after the first call was made to GMP and as firearms officers were making their way to the scene, al-Shamie called 999 claiming responsibility for the attack. He also pledged allegiance to Islamic State.”
The attack began when Al-Shamie drove a car into worshippers outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Synagogue. He then exited the vehicle armed with knives and wearing a fake suicide belt, attempting to stab people and storm the building during the Yom Kippur service. Worshippers and security staff managed to hold the synagogue doors shut until armed officers arrived.
Two men were killed in the incident. Melvin Cravitz, 66, died at the scene, while Adrian Daulby, 53, was fatally shot by police by mistake while trying to keep the attacker from entering the building. Another man, Yoni Finlay, was also wounded by police gunfire and remains in hospital.
Although al-Shamie pledged allegiance to ISIS in his 999 call, MI5 has found no evidence of direct contact between him and any proscribed terrorist group. Police now believe he was a self-radicalised lone actor inspired by Islamist extremist ideology. He was not previously known to MI5 or the government’s Prevent programme.
The attack has intensified scrutiny of the United Kingdom’s counter-terrorism systems, particularly following reports that al-Shamie was on bail for a rape charge at the time of the incident. His ability to carry out a deadly attack while supposedly under police supervision has raised questions about their handling of high-risk individuals.
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