Police Gunfire Hit Synagogue Victims, Force Says
BBC News
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One of the victims killed in yesterday's synagogue attack was hit by police gunfire as they shot the attacker, Greater Manchester Police say
Two Jewish men were killed when a man drove a car at members of the public before stabbing people. They are named as Adrian Daulby, 53, and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz
Three people remain in hospital, with one also being treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, police say
The attacker, who was shot dead at the scene, is believed to be 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent
Three other people have been arrested and police are treating the attack as a terror incident
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria are visiting the synagogue, after he vowed to do "everything in my power" to protect Jewish communities in the UK
The UK's Chief Rabbi says the attack at the Heaton Park synagogue on Yom Kippur is the "tragic result" of an "unrelenting wave of Jew hatred"
Edited by Johanna Chisholm and Tinshui Yeung, with Jonny Humphries reporting from Manchester
A statement has been released by the Manchester attacker's father, on behalf of the Al-Shamie family. It appears on a Facebook page belonging to the father, Faraj Al-Shamie.
The statement is as follows:
"The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has been a profound shock to us. The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians.
"We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort.
"We kindly request that all media outlets respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time and refrain from using this tragic event in any context that does not reflect the truth.
"May God have mercy on the innocent victims, and we pray for the swift recovery of the injured."
As we've just reported, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson has just issued an update on yesterday's attack – here's what he says:
In an update, Greater Manchester Police says that two victims of yesterday's attack have been found to have gunshot wounds.
The statement in full from the chief constable:
"The Home Office Pathologist has advised that he has provisionally determined, that one of the deceased victims would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury," a statement reads.
"It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad Al Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP's Authorised Firearms Officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community. It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end.
"We have also been advised by medical professionals that one of the three victims currently receiving treatment in hospital, has also suffered a gunshot wound, which is mercifully not life threatening. It is believed that both victims were close together behind the synagogue door, as worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry."
We've just had some images come through of Keir Starmer, which show the prime minister visiting the area near the scene of the Manchester synagogue attack.
In the photos below, he is shown shaking hands with police officers alongside his wife, Victoria.
As the investigation into yesterday's attack continues, we've been hearing from members of the Jewish community who live nearby to the synagogue in Crumpsall.
Zippi tells BBC 5 Live that she and her children regularly walk down the road nearby to visit family on Friday nights.
She says with her daughter nearly a teenager and beginning to walk alone on the streets, she'll now "rethink whether there's a future for us as a family… because we don't feel welcome".
"My five year old asked me yesterday, when we had four helicopters above our heads all day, he said 'is this what happens every Yom Kippur?' I said no, this isn't normal," she says.
"You have to try and explain to them that this isn't the norm and this isn't the way we should be living."
We're now seeing pictures of flowers and notes that have been placed near the scene of yesterday's attack.
Adam Goldsmith
Live reporter
A police cordon remains in place near the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester
There have been a number of updates this morning, so let's take you through them:
Victims killed in the attack have been named: Two Jewish men killed in the Manchester synagogue attack have been named by police as 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz (pictured in an earlier post), and 53-year-old Martin Daulby.
The killer was not believed to be known to police: Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has told the BBC that the suspect – 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie – was not known to counter-terrorism police (there's more on the suspected attacker in an earlier post).
Home secretary has urged protesters to "take a step back": Mahmood has also said the pro-Palestinian marches that went ahead last night were "fundamentally un-British".
A new image of the suspect has been released: The BBC has verified an image of the 35-year-old, who police said yesterday was a British citizen of Syrian descent.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis is on his way to Manchester: And he says the attack is the "tragic result" of an "unrelenting wave of Jew hatred".
Police continue to work at the scene: And there is also a cordon in place outside Prestwich, which has been linked to arrests made yesterday.
Let's return now to some of the comments this morning from Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood who earlier asked people planning on protesting this weekend to "take a step back".
Speaking to the Today Programme this morning, she said there were "strong" powers to protect the freedom to protest – but they could be overridden on the advice of the police.
"I can take my lead from the police, if they were to tell me there was an inability to respond and to police the protests, then there are powers that are available," she explained.
She said that she'll be talking to Mark Rowley, the Met Police Commissioner, later this morning.
"What I would say to everybody listening, is that last night protests took place. My own feeling was that was fundamentally un-British, on such a day – with an antisemitic terrorist attack in our country – I would have wanted to see people to take a step back."
BBC Verify has verified an image of the Manchester synagogue suspect, Jihad Al-Shamie.
Police said they believe the attacker was the 35-year-old, who was a British citizen of Syrian descent.
A bit earlier this morning, we heard from shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick.
Speaking to the BBC, he said the attack in Manchester "wasn't just an antisemitic attack, it was an anti-British attack".
"While it is deeply shocking what occurred yesterday, it isn't surprising," Jenrick told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"People have been preparing for this for years," he said, adding that there are "ordinary people … who wear stab-proof vests and are trained to check people as they go into synagogues and to handle these situations".
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also spoken with the BBC this morning, and she stressed that the government "does provide funding for security" but added: "we will have to consider what more we can do to deal with rising antisemitism."
Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Prestwich
This is how things are looking in Prestwich this morning, where a police cordon remains in place.
Access to a handful of houses is fully behind the cordon, and immediate neighbours have been given permission to come and go.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said on Thursday that a crime scene remained in place in Prestwich, which was linked to the arrests made earlier that day.
There is a smattering of photographers and journalists around the cordon, but the street is very quiet so far.
We're getting some new images from the scene of yesterday's attack in Manchester, where police are continuing to work.
More now from Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who tells BBC Breakfast she was disappointed pro-Palestinian protests went ahead last night.
"It is important to draw a line between what is happening in Middle East and what is happening at home," she says.
Forty people were arrested during the protests, including on suspicion of assaulting police, Mahmood adds.
"I do think that carrying on in this way does feel un-British, it feels wrong."
She continues by asking people who were thinking about going out to protests this weekend to "take a step back".
"Imagine it was you, give this community a chance to grieve and to process what has happened."
We can now bring you a picture of Melvin Cravitz, one of the two Jewish men killed in yesterday's attack.
The 66-year-old and Adrian Daulby, 53, were both from Crumpsall, where the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue is located, police say.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says her thoughts are with the families of Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz, the two men killed in yesterday's attack, as well as the wider Jewish community.
Mahmood tells BBC Breakfast the suspect Jihad Al-Shamie was not known to counter-terrorism police.
It is "too early" to say if there was a "terrorist cell" behind the attack, she adds.
She says the police investigation is "continuing at pace" and there is an increased police presence at synagogues across the UK.
"The government does provide funding for security," Mahmood says. "I think we will have to consider what more we can do to deal with rising antisemitism.
"Our responsibility is to make sure our Jewish community, our citizens can go about their lives with safety and security."
We're continuing to hear from members of Manchester's Jewish community and how they're feeling this morning, including Eli Haffner.
Haffner, who is on the board of an orthodox synagogue in Manchester, tells the Today programme that preparing for an attack like the one that happened at Heaton Park is "something that [is] always in the back".
"It's not something we necessarily prepare for expecting it to happen but deep down we know it's something that was going to happen."
He explains that high fences and security guards are "something we're used to".
He adds that since he was a child, he believes antisemitism has changed and "become more dangerous".
"I think things are going to get worse," he says, before adding that he thinks "everyone should be speaking up now".
Labour's Josh Simons, a Jewish MP representing Makerfield, tells BBC Breakfast how tightknit the Jewish community is in Manchester.
"Everybody knows everybody," he says.
"The victims who have been named are about two steps removed from my family. It was a sad day yesterday, it is going to be an even sadder day today.
"Everybody in this community is holding themselves a little bit tighter," Simons says, adding that though "they are frightened" they are also "determined to be unbound".
Simons adds there is a "palpable underlying sense of fear" for Jewish community events and schools.
"Outside every Jewish community event in the country there is a security guard who looks after that venue and makes sure the credible threats that our community faces all the time don't turn into reality," Simons says.
"Were [security guards] not there yesterday, what happened could have been a whole lot worse."
Frank Gardner
Security correspondent
As we just mentioned, Whitehall officials have confirmed that Jihad Al-Shami is the name they are working with as the suspected perpetrator of the attack in Manchester.
However, his second name ‘Al-Shami’ simply means ‘the Syrian’ in Arabic (he is believed to have been a Briton of Syrian descent) so that may well be his adopted nom de guerre, a common practice amongst jihadist fighters.
The authorities are being cautious about whether he was already known or not.
He was not the subject of any current active investigation, but they don’t rule out his name appearing later on in connection with other individuals who are under investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing or MI5.
Police said they believe the attacker was 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent.
It is understood he entered the UK as a very young child, and was granted British citizenship in 2006 as a minor.
Al-Shamie was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the attack on Thursday morning.
Police chief Sir Stephen Watson said the suspect was wearing "a vest which had the appearance of an explosive device" – but the force later confirmed it was not viable.
Al-Shamie's name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service counter-terrorism records, and he is not thought to have been under current investigation, according to PA news.
Further checks are under way to see if he appears anywhere in records of other investigations.
Greater Manchester Police say three other suspects have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism. They are two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s.
Raphi Bloom, who was on his way to Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue yesterday just before the attack happened, has been speaking with BBC Breakfast this morning.
Reacting to the news that the two victims killed in the attack had been named, Bloom calls it "tragic".
"The Jewish community is the only faith community in the UK that has to have permanent guards and big fences around its synagogues, Jewish schools, its communal organisations," he says.
"That in and of itself tells a very sad tale about where we are in Britain in 2025."
Bloom – who is also a board member of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester – describes his community as "proud" but says they "need the support of elected politicians".
"We need actions not words and it needs to happen now not later."
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