Father of Manchester synagogue attacker condemns ‘heinous act’

The father of Jihad al-Shamie, the man shot dead by police as he attacked a Manchester synagogue, has condemned his son’s “heinous act”.

Faraj al-Shamie, in a statement said to have been made on behalf of the wider family, said they wished to distance themselves from Thursday’s attack, during which two people were killed and three seriously injured.

He wrote: “The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has been a profound shock to us.

“The al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians. We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort.

“We kindly request that all media outlets respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time and refrain from using this tragic event in any context that does not reflect the truth. May God have mercy on the innocent victims, and we pray for the swift recovery of the injured.”

Faraj al-Shamie reportedly worked as a trauma surgeon for several non-governmental organisations in conflict zones including South Sudan.

Police named the two people killed in Thursday’s attack at Heaton Park synagogue, in north Manchester, as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66.

On Friday, Stephen Watson, the Greater Manchester police chief constable, disclosed that one of the victims appeared to have been shot dead by the armed police officers who rushed to the scene.

Police believe the unnamed man was among those behind the synagogue door seeking to prevent Shamie from gaining entry.

One of those hurt in the attack, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, was also said to have sustained his injuries from police fire.

The attacker used a car to ram into the grounds of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall on Thursday, then attempted to stab worshippers in a six-minute rampage that ended only when armed officers shot at him twice, leaving him dead at the door of the temple.

Shamie, 35, was a British citizen of Syrian descent. Greater Manchester police said three other people – two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s – had been arrested “on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism”.

Neighbours in Prestwich, in Greater Manchester, said Shamie had lived there since about 2021, and one recalled a baby at the address but could not recollect seeing a woman there.

One woman said: “We used to see him out in the garden working out, doing weights, press-ups. He used to change his clothes. One day he would be wearing the full gown, to the floor, and the next jeans [or] pyjama bottoms.”

Another said they believed that Shamie had initially lived with both parents and two brothers but that the father had moved out about six or seven years ago and would return in a car with a French number plate.

Armed counter-terrorism officers swooped on the attacker’s semi-detached property shortly before 4.30pm yesterday, about seven hours after the attack at a synagogue about two miles away.

Footage shared by neighbours shows heavily armed officers in military fatigues preparing to raid the house with a chainsaw and a police dog. One carried two bulletproof shields. “They just came up the street shouting and screaming,” said one neighbour, Mike, who wanted only to give his first name. “They shouted ‘Get down’ … they were there for ages.”

The chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, the head of Orthodox Judaism in Britain, said on Friday that the attack was the result of “an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred” on the streets and online. “This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come,” he wrote on social media.

The archbishop-designate of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, said the Church of England stood with the Jewish community against antisemitism. “We then, as a church, have a responsibility to be a people who stand with the Jewish community against antisemitism in all its forms,” she said on Friday, in her first speech since being named for the role.

The prime minister, Keir Starmer, and his wife, Victoria, visited the scene of the fatal attack on Friday morning, meeting police officers and viewing the flowers and tribute messages left on the street outside.

The Metropolitan police called for organisers to cancel a mass protest against the ban on Palestine Action planned for Saturday in London, saying their resources were stretched by the need to protect the Jewish community.

A spokesperson said: “The horrific terrorist attack that took place in Manchester yesterday will have caused significant fear and concern in communities across the UK, including here in London. Yet at a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of a terrorist organisation.

“By choosing to encourage mass law-breaking on this scale, Defend Our Juries are drawing resources away from the communities of London at a time when they are needed most. We urge them to do the responsible thing and delay or cancel their plans.”