A man, identified as Jihad Al-Shamie, carried out an attack on a synagogue in northern England, resulting in the deaths of two Jewish worshippers. Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, drove a car into pedestrians and attacked individuals with a knife at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester. He called the emergency number 999 after the incident, claiming allegiance to Islamic State and taking responsibility for the attack. Armed officers fatally shot Al-Shamie at the scene, where one victim also died due to police gunfire.
The attack occurred during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, claiming the lives of Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, with three others sustaining serious injuries. Al-Shamie, not previously known to counterterrorism authorities, had a criminal record and was recently arrested for rape before being released on bail. The investigation indicates his influence by extreme Islamist ideology. Six individuals were arrested following the incident, with all being released without charges.
Al-Shamie’s family expressed shock and condemned his actions on social media. Antisemitic incidents have been on the rise in Britain, the U.S., and Europe, with a surge recorded since the conflict in Gaza. The Community Security Trust reported over 3,500 incidents in 2024, making it the second-highest year on record for such occurrences, following a peak in 2023.
