Two Killed in Manchester Synagogue Attack Named
BBC News
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Two men killed in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester have been named by police as Adrian Daulby, 53, and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz
Three others are in hospital with serious injuries after a man drove a car at members of the public before stabbing people. Police have declared it a terrorist incident – here's what we know so far
Manchester police say they believe the attacker, who was shot dead at the scene, is 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent. Three other people have been arrested
A neighbour of Al-Shamie tells the BBC: "To have somebody like that living on my estate, it's scary"
The UK's Chief Rabbi says the attack is the "tragic result" of an "unrelenting wave of Jew hatred", while PM Keir Starmer tells the Jewish community he'll do everything in his power to give them "the security you deserve"
The attack happened as worshippers gathered at the Heaton Park synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar
Edited by Johanna Chisholm and Tinshui Yeung
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 is currently Greater Manchester's only Jewish MP and represents Makerfield – a constituency about 21 miles west of Crumpsall, where the two victims killed in the attack were from.
Describing how tightknit the Jewish community in Manchester is, Simons tells the BBC how "everybody knows everybody".
"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," he says.
"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."
In the last few moments, the two victims killed in yesterday's attack have been named. If you're just joining us know, here's the latest:
What do we know?

There are further details which are not yet clear, including the motive for the attack, the identities of the other victims injured, and the identities of those being held in custody.
Yesterday, a large police presence could be seen at the site of the attack
Greater Manchester Police says that extra police will be deployed across the city today.
"The additional resources will provide a high visibility presence in North Manchester, Bury, and Salford, within Jewish communities, and around synagogues," a statement from the police reads.
“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," says Chief Superintendent David Meeney.
Some more now on the victims killed in yesterday's attack.
Greater Manchester Police's Det Ch Supt Lewis Hughes says the families of the two men killed in yesterday's attack – Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz – are being supported by police.
“My deepest sympathies are with Mr Daulby and Mr Cravitz’s loved ones at this extremely hard time," he says.
Specially trained family liaison officers are in contact with the victims' families, he adds, saying they will continue to update them on the investigation and support them throughout the coronial process.
“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 two men were from Crumpsall, he says.
Additionally, the Home Office says post-mortems will take place later this morning.
The two people killed in yesterday's attack outside Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue have been named.
They are Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66.
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A neighbour who lives near to the attacker's home has told the BBC's Newsnight programme that police arrived at the Prestwich residence on Thursday evening "armed to the teeth" and carrying military equipment.
Simon Barlass, 57, says he initially heard about the attack from his daughter, who called him to see if he was okay after she saw news reports of a stabbing near his home.
He says that he had never really had a conversation with Jihad Al-Shamie, having only seen him heading to the shops or using weights in his back garden.
“To have somebody like that living on my estate, it's scary,” Barlass says.
He adds that he never observed any prior police presence at the address.
The suburb is just minutes away from the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue.
Political leaders from across the UK have been issuing statements describing their outrage and horror at the attack:
We've already brought you reaction from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
Frank Gardner
Security correspondent
One of the highest priorities for the investigators is identifying everyone whom the attacker was in contact with, prior to his being shot dead at the scene.
Jihad Al-Shamie is not thought to have been the subject of any ongoing current investigation.
But that does not mean his name won’t crop up in connection with other investigations by Counter Terrorism Policing or the Security Service, MI5.
Experts say it is rare for a perpetrator to be acting in complete isolation.
Analysts at JTAC, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre in London, have been working flat out to determine whether they need to raise the National Terrorism Threat Level from its current level of "Substantial" to the next rung up, "Severe".
It’s been at "Substantial" since early 2022, meaning a terror attack is thought to be "likely".
Much will depend on what clues can now be gleaned from Al-Shamie’s digital footprint, such as the numbers stored in his phone and his activity online.
This investigation is still in its early stages.
We are resuming our live coverage of the aftermath of the attack on Manchester's Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, which left two Jewish people dead and three other people injured.
The UK's Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, says the attack is the "tragic result" of an "unrelenting wave of Jew hatred".
Police have named the assailant, who was shot dead at the scene, as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie. He struck on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest developments and reaction to an event which Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has condemned as a "terrorist attack".
Two men from the Jewish community have died and three other people remain in hospital with serious injuries, police say, after a car and knife attack in Manchester.
The attack came on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
The attacker was killed by firearms officers, and three other people are being held in custody.
Manchester police say they believe the synagogue attacker is 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent.
He was wearing a device at the time of the attack – officers have since said it was "not viable".
Police have declared it a terrorist incident, and say they are working to understand the motivation behind the attack as the investigation continues.
We're pausing our live coverage now but there's lots of detail and reaction across the BBC. Here's where you can find more:
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis says today's attack was not only an "assault" on the Jewish community but an attack on the "very foundations of humanity and the values of compassion".
"This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come," he writes on Facebook.
"Our hearts are shattered," he adds as he says he hopes the attack will make people "confront antisemitism".
Mirvis also says that he has spoken to Rabbi Daniel Walker, the spiritual leader of the Heaton Park Synagogue, where the attack happened.
It's just gone 22:30 and the country is grappling with the aftermath of the deadly attack at a synagogue in Manchester earlier today.
What do we know?

What we're still yet to find out:
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