Syrian-British man, Jihad al-Shamie, identified as Manchester synagogue terrorist

The terrorist who murdered two and seriously wounded four Jewish worshippers at the Manchester Synagogue in England on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, was identified as a British citizen of Syrian background.

He was identified as Jihad al-Shamie, according to British authorities, who stated that the explosive device he appeared to be wearing was “not viable.”

Al-Shamie rammed his car into a crowd of worshippers outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester on Thursday morning, before stabbing several other people.

Adrian Daulby (53) and Melvin Cravitz (66) were identified as the victims of the attack.

Video footage taken by bystanders showed police officers confronting al-Shamie outside the synagogue, where he appeared to have several items strapped around his waist. The officers then shot him and evacuated the area out of fear of a possible explosion.

According to media reports, al-Shamie was not on the radar of the British counter-terror program that monitors individuals at risk of radicalization.

In addition to the attacker, two other males in their 30s and a woman in her 60s were “arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism,” the police announced.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the nation's security establishment believes the terror attack may be linked to Hamas efforts to incite and orchestrate attacks in Europe.

“This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come,” British Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis wrote on 𝕏 after the attack.

“For so long we have witnessed an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, on campuses, on social media and elsewhere – this is the tragic result. This is not only an assault on the Jewish community, but an attack on the very foundations of humanity and the values of compassion, dignity and respect which we all share,” he said.

“May the victims’ memories be for a blessing and may the injured be granted a swift recovery,” Mirvis wrote. “I pray that this tragedy strengthens our collective resolve to confront antisemitism, in all its guises, once and for all.”

Later on Thursday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria, who is Jewish, delivered a brief address in a London synagogue.

“Earlier today, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day for the Jewish community, a vile individual committed a terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews, and attacked Britain because of our values,” Starmer said.

“While this is not a new hate, this is something Jews have always lived with. We must be clear: It is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again.”

The UK's new home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, vowed that the government would intensify efforts to combat antisemitism.

“We will redouble our efforts,” Mahmood told Times Radio. “We will, of course, now review all of the work that we do to tackle antisemitism.”

The attack was also condemned by the envoy of the Palestinian Authority to the UK, Husam Zomlot, who wrote on 𝕏: “No one should ever feel unsafe in their home or at their place of worship.”

“My deepest condolences go to the victims and families of today’s heinous attack in Manchester. “Violence against civilians must be condemned without hesitation or exception. We stand firm in upholding the rule of law everywhere, rejecting dehumanization, and affirming the equal humanity of all,” he added.

Speaking to The Guardian, Rob Kanter, who was in the synagogue at the time of the attack, recounted the harrowing moments.

“We’d already made sure that the doors and windows were shut,” said Kanter. After they heard gunshots, Kanter said he police came into the synagogue to escort the worshippers to safety. He noted that his first reaction to hearing gunshots was, “How are we going to keep ourselves and everyone else safe?”

“I would say the mood amongst our fellow congregants was very calm, and everyone deals with these things in their own way,” Kanter continued. “Some people get through this in a very quiet way, others like to talk, some people even try and use an element of humor just to keep themselves going.”