The suspect of a terror attack at a Manchester synagogue on Thursday was out on bail at the time, after being arrested for an alleged rape, police say.
The 35-year-old man, identified by police as
, was not known to the counter terrorism unit; however, he did have a criminal past,
Laurence Taylor, head of counter terrorism policing.
“This includes a recent arrest for rape, which resulted in him being bailed,” he said on Friday. “At this stage, we believe Al-Shamie may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology. Establishing the full circumstances of the attack is likely to take some time.”
Al-Shamie, who was killed by officers at the scene, was a British citizen of Syrian descent.
He drove a car to the area on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for the Jewish community. He rammed into people and stabbed them. He did not have a gun, police said. A
said he saw a suspect banging on the door of the building with a knife, trying to gain entry, BBC News reported.
He lived in Prestwich, a suburb just west of Crumpsall, in Manchester, the
. A man whom the publication identified as his father, Faraj Al-Shamie, released a statement on Facebook on Friday on behalf of the family. He said the attack was a “profound shock.”
Al-Shamie Family Statment
The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has…
Posted by Faraj Al-Shamie on Friday, October 3, 2025
The family “strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians,” he wrote.
“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.”
According to the BBC, the younger Al-Shamie moved to the United Kingdom as a child and became a British citizen in 2006, when he was 16 years old.
It was later revealed that a vest worn by Al-Shamie that appeared to contain explosives was not viable.
Police initially said three other suspects, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s, were arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.
Another three suspects — one man and two women between the ages of 18 and mid-40s — were arrested on the same charges, said Taylor, bringing the total arrests to six.
Two victims of Manchester synagogue attack accidentally shot by officers: police
One of two victims who died was hit by police gunfire, authorities said.
The deceased victims were
as local residents Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66. Daulby is believed to have been the one struck by officers.
A person injured in the attack and currently recovering in hospital was also shot by police, but the gunshot wound was not life-threatening. Two other victims are in the hospital receiving treatment.
While trying to subdue the suspect, officers at the scene shot at him, according to a statement from Greater Manchester Police Chief Const. Sir Stephen Watson.
“It is believed that both victims were close together behind the synagogue door, as worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry,” police said.
It was a “tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end,” said Watson.
The attack occurred in the suburb of Crumpsall, just less than five kilometres north of Manchester’s city centre, in northwest England.
Who were the victims in the Manchester attack?
Daulby was described by a neighbour as “a lovely guy,”
. The neighbour, John Kelly, said Daulby fed his cat when he was away. “I used to do his garden,” said Kelly. Daulby lived about a 10-minute walk from the synagogue. He said that Daulby, a cancer survivor, didn’t like being photographed.
Another neighbour, Abdul Rahimi, said Daulby was “like an angel,”
. “He was a very good neighbour, very good guy, always helpful,” he said.
Cravitz was described by his boss David Salzman as “such a special person with a big heart,” according to The Telegraph. “He was always there for everyone. You always have that one person that’s just so special and wants to help and nothing was a problem for him,” he said.
Brian Bell
that Cravitz was a “gentle soul who wouldn’t harm a fly.”
He was working as a security guard at the synagogue at the time of the attack,
.
Friends of Cravitz, Elchonon and Hindi Cohen, said he was “always with a joke, always making a smile. He had his humour.”
Cravitz, who didn’t have his own children, was a “beloved uncle figure,” by his wife Karen’s children from a previous marriage, said the Cohens, The Telegraph reported.
“He didn’t have immediate family of his own but the family he had he was desperate to connect with,” Hindi said. “This is a tragedy for all of them.”
One of the three victims recovering in hospital, who was injured by a gunshot wound, was identified as Yoni Finlay in reports by
and
. A second victim was identified by Sky News as Andrew Franks.
A vigil was held on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. local time in honour of the victims and to show solidarity with the Manchester Jewish community. It was
organized by the The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region
.
The police chief is also pleading with citizens
not to go through with some planned demonstrations
this weekend.
“I am directly appealing to all those who might be intending to protest this weekend to consider whether this is really the right time,” Watson said. “You could do the responsible and sensitive thing and refrain, on this occasion, from protesting in a manner which is likely to add to the trauma currently being experienced by our Jewish community.”
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A total of six suspects have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism
A total of six suspects have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism
The suspect of a terror attack at a Manchester synagogue on Thursday was out on bail at the time, after being arrested for an alleged rape, police say.
The 35-year-old man, identified by police as Jihad Al-Shamie, was not known to the counter terrorism unit; however, he did have a criminal past, said Laurence Taylor, head of counter terrorism policing.
“This includes a recent arrest for rape, which resulted in him being bailed,” he said on Friday. “At this stage, we believe Al-Shamie may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology. Establishing the full circumstances of the attack is likely to take some time.”
Al-Shamie, who was killed by officers at the scene, was a British citizen of Syrian descent.
He drove a car to the area on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for the Jewish community. He rammed into people and stabbed them. He did not have a gun, police said. A witness who called police said he saw a suspect banging on the door of the building with a knife, trying to gain entry, BBC News reported.
He lived in Prestwich, a suburb just west of Crumpsall, in Manchester, the BBC reported. A man whom the publication identified as his father, Faraj Al-Shamie, released a statement on Facebook on Friday on behalf of the family. He said the attack was a “profound shock.”
Story continues below
The family “strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians,” he wrote.
“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.”
According to the BBC, the younger Al-Shamie moved to the United Kingdom as a child and became a British citizen in 2006, when he was 16 years old.
It was later revealed that a vest worn by Al-Shamie that appeared to contain explosives was not viable.
Police initially said three other suspects, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s, were arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.
Another three suspects — one man and two women between the ages of 18 and mid-40s — were arrested on the same charges, said Taylor, bringing the total arrests to six.
Two victims of Manchester synagogue attack accidentally shot by officers: police
One of two victims who died was hit by police gunfire, authorities said.
Story continues below
The deceased victims were identified by police as local residents Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66. Daulby is believed to have been the one struck by officers.
A person injured in the attack and currently recovering in hospital was also shot by police, but the gunshot wound was not life-threatening. Two other victims are in the hospital receiving treatment.
While trying to subdue the suspect, officers at the scene shot at him, according to a statement from Greater Manchester Police Chief Const. Sir Stephen Watson.
“It is believed that both victims were close together behind the synagogue door, as worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry,” police said.
It was a “tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end,” said Watson.
The attack occurred in the suburb of Crumpsall, just less than five kilometres north of Manchester’s city centre, in northwest England.