On 2nd October, British authorities identified the perpetrator of the horrific terrorist attack outside a synagogue in Manchester that left two people dead and three injured. He was revealed to be 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie. He was a citizen of the United Kingdom of Syrian descent and named as the assailant by Greater Manchester Police.
During the attack, Jihad Al-Shamie crashed a car into worshippers outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, and then started stabbing people. He was shot dead by police. Greater Manchester Police said in a statement, “We are now able to confirm that, although formal identification is yet to take place, we believe the person responsible for today’s attacks is 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie. He is a British citizen of Syrian descent.”
Apart from him, police have detained three people for suspected involvement in the antisemitic terror attack. “We can confirm that three suspects are currently in custody and 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,” informed the police.
The assault, which combined a vehicle ramming with knife attacks, occurred during Yom Kippur services, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Greater Manchester Police were alerted at 9:31 a.m. local time to reports of a car being driven into pedestrians outside the synagogue on Middleton Road, followed by a man exiting the vehicle and stabbing members of the public, including a security guard.
Police officers arrived at the scene within minutes and shots were fired at the suspect, who is believed to have died at the scene. A bomb disposal unit was deployed due to “suspicious items” found on the assailant, complicating initial confirmation of his condition. However, nothing dangerous was found after checking.
The incident has been declared a major event under Operation Plato, the UK’s protocol for major terrorist attacks, underscoring the rapid escalation and fears of broader threats. Authorities are investigating it as a potential anti-Semitic terror incident amid a rise in antisemitic incidents in the UK since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, cutting short a trip to Copenhagen for a European leaders’ summit, described the attack as “appalling” and announced the deployment of additional police to synagogues nationwide. He is chairing an emergency COBRA meeting in London this afternoon to coordinate the response. “The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur… makes it all the more horrific,” Starmer said, extending thanks to first responders.
King Charles III of Britain also conveyed his grief, stating that the act “deeply shocked and saddened” him.
