One of the victims of the synagogue attack in Manchester may have been fatally shot by officers during their attempt to stop the assailant, police said on Friday.
In a statement, police confirmed that the suspect, identified as Jihad Al Shamie , was not carrying a firearm. “The only shots fired were from GMP’s Authorised Firearms Officer," the Greater Manchester Police statement said.
“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,” the statement added.
The incident unfolded on Thursday outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, where worshippers had gathered for Yom Kippur. Two people were killed and three others seriously wounded after a car was driven at a crowd, followed by a stabbing.
Police had initially said the suspect was "believed dead" after being shot. A bomb squad was later deployed amid fears the attacker was carrying explosives.
The two victims were identified as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66. Three others remain in hospital in serious condition.
The assault took place Thursday morning in Crumpsall, a Manchester suburb, as worshippers gathered for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Police said a suspect rammed a car into pedestrians outside the Orthodox synagogue before attacking them with a knife. He was shot dead by armed officers seven minutes later. The attacker was wearing what appeared to be an explosives belt, later confirmed to be fake.
Police identified the suspect as Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian origin who moved to the UK as a child and obtained citizenship in 2006. Authorities are still verifying whether “Al-Shamie” is his birth name. The case is being investigated as a terrorist incident, though the motive remains unclear.
Three people – two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s – have been arrested on suspicion of preparing or assisting acts of terrorism. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the attacker had not previously been known to police or to Prevent, the UK’s counter-radicalisation programme. “It’s too early to say whether he acted alone or as part of a wider network,” she said.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis condemned the attack as the product of “an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred.” Writing on social media, he said: “This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come.”
Political and religious leaders have pledged reassurance to Britain’s 300,000-strong Jewish community following the attack.
In a statement, police confirmed that the suspect, identified as Jihad Al Shamie , was not carrying a firearm. “The only shots fired were from GMP’s Authorised Firearms Officer," the Greater Manchester Police statement said.
“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,” the statement added.
#UPDATE | Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson has provided an update following yesterday’s tragic incident on Middleton Road in Crumpsall. pic.twitter.com/VWTpOE4KG3
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) October 3, 2025
The incident unfolded on Thursday outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, where worshippers had gathered for Yom Kippur. Two people were killed and three others seriously wounded after a car was driven at a crowd, followed by a stabbing.
Police had initially said the suspect was "believed dead" after being shot. A bomb squad was later deployed amid fears the attacker was carrying explosives.
The two victims were identified as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66. Three others remain in hospital in serious condition.
The assault took place Thursday morning in Crumpsall, a Manchester suburb, as worshippers gathered for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Police said a suspect rammed a car into pedestrians outside the Orthodox synagogue before attacking them with a knife. He was shot dead by armed officers seven minutes later. The attacker was wearing what appeared to be an explosives belt, later confirmed to be fake.
Police identified the suspect as Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian origin who moved to the UK as a child and obtained citizenship in 2006. Authorities are still verifying whether “Al-Shamie” is his birth name. The case is being investigated as a terrorist incident, though the motive remains unclear.
Three people – two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s – have been arrested on suspicion of preparing or assisting acts of terrorism. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the attacker had not previously been known to police or to Prevent, the UK’s counter-radicalisation programme. “It’s too early to say whether he acted alone or as part of a wider network,” she said.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis condemned the attack as the product of “an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred.” Writing on social media, he said: “This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come.”
Political and religious leaders have pledged reassurance to Britain’s 300,000-strong Jewish community following the attack.
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