Greater Manchester Police have named the two victims of yesterday’s terror attack at a synagogue, after revealing details about the suspect. Three other people are in custody and police will step up their presence in the area today. Follow the latest below.
Friday 3 October 2025 07:25, UK
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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is speaking to Sky News.
She says the synagogue attack was “devastating” and “horrifying”, as she paid tribute to those who prevented the attacker from entering the synagogue.
The government is stepping up policing resources around the Jewish community, she adds, and officers are on “high alert”.
An attack on them is “an attack on all of us”, she says.
Suspect Jihad al Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, came to the UK as a “small child” and was naturalised as a British citizen while still a child in the mid-2000s, she says.
“For now, that is all we know of the attacker”.
The home secretary has urged pro-Palestine protesters not to carry out demonstrations in the wake of the terror attack in Manchester.
Shabana Mahmood said they should “take a step back” for a few days “to give the Jewish community here a chance to process what has happened and to begin the grieving process as well”.
Some 40 people were arrested in Whitehall yesterday evening during a protest organised by the Global Movement for Gaza UK, following calls to meet in support of Greta Thunberg’s aid flotilla, which was prevented from reaching Gaza by the Israeli navy earlier this week.
“I am very disappointed that some of the organisers haven’t heeded the call to step back,” Mahmood told GB News.
“I would still call on people to show some love and some solidarity to the families of those who have been murdered and to our Jewish community.”
The two victims killed in yesterday’s attack were named this morning.
If you’re just joining us, here’s what we know about the terror attack so far.
Victims
A car and stabbing attack took place at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue yesterday morning.
Two people from the Jewish community were killed: Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66.
Three others are in hospital with serious injuries.
Suspects
Counter Terrorism Police named the suspect as 35-year-old Jihad al Shamie.
He was shot dead by firearms officers.
Police said he was a British citizen of Syrian descent and that his name did not appear in any records of Prevent – the UK government’s counter-terrorism programme.
Three other people – two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s – have been arrested in connection with the attack.
They were being held on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.
The attack in 10 minutes
Response
Sir Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” by the attack and returned to the UK to chair an emergency COBRA meeting.
The King said that he and the Queen were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack”.
Greater Manchester Police have deployed extra officers across the region today.
The man who carried out the attack in Greater Manchester was not known to the police, the Home Secretary has confirmed.
Speaking on GB News, Shabana Mahmood said: “In terms of the attacker, this individual was not known to the security services.
“He has obviously been shot dead at the scene, but the police investigations will now continue at pace.”
She thanked members of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall and the police, saying their actions helped save lives.
Society has an “urgent duty” to confront antisemitism, says the head of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.
Chief executive Olivia Marks-Woldman said the charity was  “horrified” by the attack.
“Antisemitism is a pernicious hatred that has no place in our society. 
“We must confront it wherever it arises, without hesitation and without compromise.”
She said the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust remembers the “devastating consequences of unchecked hatred”. 
“Our mission is to remember the darkest chapters of human history and to learn from the past to challenge prejudice today. That duty is all the more urgent in moments like this.”
Greater Manchester Police have expressed their “deepest sympathies” to the families of Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz.
Detective chief superintendent Lewis Hughes said specially trained family liaison officers are in contact with them. 
“They will continue to update them on the investigation and support them throughout the coronial process.”
He continued: “Whilst there are processes which must be followed, we commit to being mindful of cultural preferences and sensitivities and to ensuring that these men and their loved ones’ wishes are respected.”
The detective said: “My deepest sympathies are with Mr Daulby and Mr Cravitz’s loved ones at this extremely hard time.”
Two victims of the synagogue terror attack have been named.
Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died in the attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Greater Manchester Police said.
Home Office post-mortems will take place later this morning.
Greater Manchester Police says there will be an increased police presence across the region today.
There will also be increased visits to local places of worship following the incident, says City of Manchester district commander, chief superintendent David Meeney.
“We have taken this action to ensure that our Jewish communities and wider communities within Greater Manchester feel safe and reassured following yesterday’s tragic incident in Crumpsall,” he said.
“People in North Manchester, Bury, Salford, within Jewish communities, and around synagogues can expect to see uniformed officers on patrol in vehicles and on foot throughout today, into this evening, and over the weekend.”
He continued: “We are conscious of the significance of Fridays and Saturdays in the Jewish faith, and will be doing everything we can to help communities mark Shabbat with their families and friends as they wish.”
Hello and welcome back to our live coverage.
Last night, police named the man suspected of carrying out a car and knife attack near a synagogue in Greater Manchester as 35-year-old Jihad al Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent.
Two people were killed and three others sent to hospital with serious injuries as a result of the terror attack, which took place at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall.
Officials added that three people – two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s – have been arrested in connection to the attack on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. 
Stay with us as we bring you all the latest.
Thanks for following our live coverage after two people were killed and others injured during a car and knife attack at a synagogue in Greater Manchester.
Police are treating the attack as a terror incident and said three arrests have been made, while the suspect – who was shot dead at the scene by police – has been named as 35-year-old Jihad al Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent.
Sir Keir Starmer, speaking after he chaired an emergency COBRA meeting this evening, promised to do everything in his power to guarantee British Jews “the security that you deserve” after the attack.
He said: “I promise you that this Britain will come together to wrap our arms around your community and show you that Britain is a place where you and your family are safe, secure and belong.”
Watch: PM promises security after Manchester attack
Several Jewish groups have said they expected a deadly antisemitic attack to take place in the UK due to “a tsunami of Jew hatred” in the country.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar said he had spoken to the head of Manchester’s Jewish community. 
He also apportioned some blame for the attack on the “authorities in Britain,” who he said had “failed to take the necessary action to curb this toxic wave of antisemitism and have effectively allowed it to persist”.
Watch: UK told to end ‘toxic antisemitism’
Catch up with the latest Sky News reporting from today’s attack here:
You can also read our full piece explaining everything we know about the attack right here:
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