A shocking revelation emerged Friday: one of the victims tragically killed in the recent vehicle and knife assault at a British synagogue was accidentally struck by police gunfire, authorities confirmed.
The devastating Thursday morning attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, officially declared a terrorist incident, claimed the lives of Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66.
Police reports indicate that both victims were positioned closely behind the synagogue door, where worshippers had courageously attempted to prevent the attacker from breaching the entrance.
Chief Constable Stephen Watson of Greater Manchester Police disclosed on Friday morning that a pathologist’s examination confirmed one of the deceased victims sustained a wound consistent with a gunshot.
In his statement, Watson clarified that the attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, did not possess a firearm. The only shots fired during the incident came from the armed police officers who were responding to the unfolding crisis.
Chief Constable Watson expressed profound regret, noting that further forensic examination would determine if this injury was ‘a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end.’
While the statement did not identify which of the deceased victims was believed to have been shot, it was confirmed that Mr. al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, also died at the scene from police gunfire.
Furthermore, Watson reported that one of the three injured survivors also suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and is currently receiving hospital care.
Occurring on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, this attack has intensified concerns regarding the safety of Jewish communities globally, especially amidst a palpable rise in antisemitism. British authorities swiftly categorized it as an act of terrorism.
Though police have not formally addressed the attacker’s motives, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in a Thursday night address to the nation, unequivocally stated that the assailant ‘attacked Jews because they are Jews.’
Starmer, whose wife is Jewish, emphasized that while antisemitism is not a new phenomenon, ‘it is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again.’ He later visited the scene on Friday, where he was photographed engaging with police officers.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood informed the BBC on Friday morning that the attacker, who arrived in Britain as a child with his family, had been granted British citizenship in 2006.
In a separate interview with Times Radio, Ms. Mahmood further clarified that the assailant ‘was not known to counterterror police.’
Despite not being under active investigation by security services or listed as a ‘subject of interest’ on their systems, intelligence officials haven’t discounted the possibility of uncovering connections to other individuals on their watch.
On Friday, officers conducted searches at his family’s home in Prestwich, a Manchester suburb approximately two miles from the attack site, as well as another residence located a short distance from the synagogue.
Police reported on Thursday the arrest of three individuals—two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s—on suspicion of involvement in the commission, preparation, and instigation of terrorist acts. Their names were not released, and they remain in custody.
In response, additional patrols were deployed across Manchester to reassure local communities, with a noticeable increase in police presence around synagogues.
International condemnation quickly followed, with several politicians expressing profound horror. Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to Britain, extended condolences to the victims and their families in a statement denouncing the ‘heinous attack.’
Zomlot emphasized that ‘No one should ever feel unsafe in their home or at their place of worship,’ and asserted that ‘Violence against civilians must be condemned without hesitation or exception.’