British police have identified the suspect in Thursday’s deadly attack outside a Manchester synagogue as 35-year-old Jihad al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent.
Two people were killed and four others seriously injured after al-Shamie drove a car into worshippers outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue at around 9.30am, before exiting the vehicle and stabbing members of the crowd during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Armed officers shot al-Shamie dead within minutes. Greater Manchester Police confirmed he had no previous “prevent referrals” on record and said three other people, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s, were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences.
Officers also noted the attacker was wearing something resembling an explosive device, though it was later deemed non-viable.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said both victims were members of Manchester’s Jewish community, adding: “We are working to understand the motivation behind the attack as the investigation continues.”
The attack has drawn international condemnation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “barbaric” and said Israel “grieves with the Jewish community in the UK.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Britain of failing to act against “blatant and rampant antisemitism,” saying authorities had “effectively allowed it to persist.”
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer cut short a trip to Denmark to chair an emergency meeting, later acknowledging that antisemitic “hatred” was rising across the country.
“I will do my best to guarantee British Jews the security you deserve,” he said.
Police have since increased security at synagogues nationwide.
Source: ABC.
