In a tragic development, officials confirmed Friday that one of the victims killed during a brutal vehicle and knife attack at a British synagogue was unintentionally shot by a police officer.
The assault, which occurred on Thursday morning at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation and has been officially classified as a terrorist attack, claimed the lives of Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66.
According to police, both men were positioned closely behind the synagogue door as worshippers bravely tried to prevent the attacker from forcing his way inside.
Chief Constable Stephen Watson of Greater Manchester Police revealed Friday morning that a forensic pathologist identified a wound consistent with a gunshot on one of the deceased victims.
He further clarified that the assailant, Jihad al-Shamie, was not carrying a firearm. The only shots fired during the incident came from armed police officers responding to the scene.
“It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end,” Mr. Watson stated.
The specific victim believed to have been shot by police was not named in the statement. Jihad al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian heritage, was also fatally shot by police at the site of the attack.
Additionally, Mr. Watson confirmed that one of the three individuals injured but surviving the attack also suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and is currently receiving hospital treatment.
This horrific attack, coinciding with Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, has amplified global concerns regarding the safety of Jewish communities amid a surge of antisemitism. British authorities have unequivocally labeled it an act of terrorism.
While police have refrained from formally detailing the attacker’s motives, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose wife is Jewish, addressed the nation on Thursday night. He asserted that the perpetrator “attacked Jews because they are Jews.”
Starmer emphasized that antisemitism is a persistent hatred that is alarmingly resurfacing, and Britain must once again unite to combat it. On Friday, he visited the synagogue to meet with police officers.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood informed the BBC on Friday morning that the attacker had arrived in Britain as a child with his family and obtained British citizenship in 2006.
In a separate interview with Times Radio, Ms. Mahmood confirmed that the assailant “was not known to counterterror police.”
Although Mr. al-Shamie was not under active investigation by security services or listed as a “subject of interest,” intelligence officials are exploring potential links to other individuals on their watch lists.
Police searches were conducted Friday at his family’s home in Prestwich, a Manchester suburb approximately two miles from the attack, and another property situated near the synagogue.
On Thursday, police announced 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. They remain in custody.
To reassure local communities, particularly around synagogues, additional high-visibility police patrols have been deployed across Manchester.
International political figures widely condemned the events. Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to Britain, extended condolences to the victims’ families, unequivocally denouncing the “heinous attack.”
“No one should ever feel unsafe in their home or at their place of worship,” he affirmed. “Violence against civilians must be condemned without hesitation or exception.”