Manchester synagogue attack suspect named by police
The man who carried out the Manchester synagogue terrorist attack has been named by Greater Manchester police as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent.
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.
A suspicious device worn by the attacker during the incident has been assessed and was deemed not to be viable.
Based on what we currently know, our records do not show any previous Prevent referrals relating to this individual.
Key events
Vikram Dodd
Officials said the attacker had entered the United Kingdom as a young child, and was granted British citizenship in 2006.
They added he was of Syrian descent originally.
Chris Osuh
Feelings of safety in the UK’s Jewish community have declined sharply in the last couple of years, according to the largest survey of British Jews since 7 October 2023.
The research, conducted in June and July, found 35% of Jews felt unsafe in Britain in 2025, compared with 9% in 2023 before the Hamas attacks.
Perceptions of antisemitism had also intensified, with 47% of British Jews seeing it as a “very big” problem – up from just 11% in 2012.
The organisers of a protest in support of banned terror group Palestine Action have refused a plea by Scotland Yard to call it off in the wake of the Manchester synagogue attack.
Hundreds of people have said they will attend a demonstration in Trafalgar Square in London on Saturday in support of the group, which has been banned by the government as a terrorist organisation.
Defend Our Juries, who organised the demonstration, said the protest “will go ahead as planned”, PA Media reports.
In a letter of response to Scotland Yard, it said: “The protection of our democracy and the prevention of countless deaths are critical issues. Therefore, our protest will go ahead as planned for this Saturday.
“We urge you, therefore, to choose to prioritise protecting the community, rather than arresting those peacefully holding signs in opposition to the absurd and draconian ban of a domestic direct action group.
“We hope you make the right choice to not arrest those taking part, and correctly deploy counter-terrorism resources this weekend.”
Here’s more from the police statement:
Three other men remain in hospital with serious injuries. One sustained a stab wound and a second was struck by the car involved in the attack.
The third man later presented himself at hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker.
We are working to formally identify those who have tragically been killed and provide support to their loved ones, in addition to the injured and the wider community.
We are working to understand the motivation behind the attack as the investigation continues.
Greater Manchester police said a suspicious device worn by the attacker has been assessed and was determined not to be viable.
The force also said Al-Shamie’s name has not appeared in police and security service records, and he is not thought to have been under investigation.
Further checks are being carried out to see if any of his details appear anywhere in records of other investigations.
Three people in custody on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism
Greater Manchester police also said in the statement that three people were in custody after being 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.
The GMP statement said: “Scenes remain in place on White House Avenue, Crumpsall and Langley Crescent, Prestwich, which are also linked to the arrests.”
Manchester synagogue attack suspect named by police
The man who carried out the Manchester synagogue terrorist attack has been named by Greater Manchester police as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent.
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.
A suspicious device worn by the attacker during the incident has been assessed and was deemed not to be viable.
Based on what we currently know, our records do not show any previous Prevent referrals relating to this individual.
The chief executive of Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Olivia Marks-Woldman, has said antisemitism “has no place in our society” and “we must confront it whenever it arises”.
“We are horrified by today’s antisemitic attack in Manchester. Taking place on Yom Kippur, a moment of atonement and reflection, it is a truly horrendous event,” she said in a statement.
Our thoughts are first and foremost with the victims and with the Jewish community in Manchester and across the UK, who will understandably feel shocked and afraid.
At the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, we remember the devastating consequences of unchecked hatred. Our mission is to remember the darkest chapters of human history and to learn from the past to challenge prejudice today. That duty is all the more urgent in moments like this.
Antisemitism is a pernicious hatred that has no place in our society. We must confront it wherever it arises, without hesitation and without compromise.
Attack is ‘something we feared was coming’, says statement from Board of Deputies of British Jews and Jewish Leadership Council
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council said the Manchester attack “was sadly something we feared was coming” at a time of rising antisemitism in the UK.
They urged members of the Jewish community to carefully follow instructions from the Community Security Trust charity, police and other authorities.
In a statement, they said:
As we emerge from the fast of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in our calendar, many in our community will only now be learning of the horrific attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester. We are devastated at the loss of two members of our Jewish community, and our thoughts are with their families, those who are injured and receiving treatment, and all those who have been affected by this act of antisemitic terror.
Our communal organisations are working in close coordination with one another and with all relevant authorities including government and police.
We urge all members of our community to carefully follow instructions from the CST, police and other authorities, intended to keep us safe. We are grateful to the police and the synagogue’s security team for their courageous action, as well as that of other emergency responders, which undoubtedly prevented further tragedy.
We thank the Government for its swift response, and His Majesty the King, the Prime Minister and other senior politicians for their expressions of support. We are also thankful for the widespread solidarity expressed for the Jewish community from across our diverse society, including faith and belief leaders from across the spectrum.
At this dark time, these acts of solidarity will be a comfort to our community. At a time of rising antisemitism in the UK, this attack was sadly something we feared was coming. We call on all those in positions of power and influence to take the required action to combat hatred against Jewish people, and will be working with the authorities on a series of additional measures to protect our community over the coming days.
The president of the Conference of European Rabbis, Pinchas Goldschmidt called for more to be done to “stamp out murderous ideologies” following the terrorist attack at a synagogue in Manchester.
“Jews in Manchester, England, woke up this morning to pray, and were murdered in their own synagogue,” he said, in comments reported by PA. “More needs to be done to stamp out murderous ideologies. Governments from the world over should spare us the statements about fighting antisemitism and instead ensure Jews are safe.”
Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that protects the Jewish community from antisemitism, said his organisation will do “everything that we can to strengthen the protection of our Jewish communities”.
In a video statement posted on X, Gardner said:
On behalf of everyone at CST, I send our prayers and our deepest, deepest sympathies to the families, the loved ones, of those lost in today’s terrorist attack at Heaton Park synagogue in the heart of the Jewish community in North Manchester.
I praise the courage of the CST personnel, the commercial security guards and the synagogue congregants whose speedy reactions, and whose use of the security doors of the synagogue have prevented even more casualties than those who were cruelly lost.
I thank the police for their swift reaction in neutralising the terrorist. We will work in the coming days with our Jewish community in North Manchester and with Jewish communities all across the UK, with the police, with the Government, we will do everything that we can to strengthen further the protection of our Jewish communities, to ensure that Jewish life can continue and that British Jews, can lead the life of their choice, as they must be able to do.
Thank you for joining us in this mission, and thank you for supporting and cooperating with our ongoing security efforts.
Investigators believe suspect was a naturalised British citizen
Vikram Dodd
Investigators at this early stage believe the attacker was a naturalised British citizen. His last known address was in Manchester.
Keir Starmer has visited a synagogue this evening, Press Association is reporting.
The leader of Manchester city council, Bev Craig, said the attack will leave a “deep mark” on the community.
She said: “Tonight across Manchester, residents are horrified by the antisemitic terrorist attack that we’ve witnessed … We know that this will leave a deep mark on our community here in Manchester, as Jewish people were attacked on their holiest day as they went to worship. But know this, in Manchester we will stand with and support our Jewish friends, our Jewish community, our neighbours, fellow residents.
“We’ll stand together, wrapping our arms around them with the love and the support that they need. We will work with agencies to make sure right across the city, everyone in our city feels safe.
“Tonight is a difficult moment of sadness and reflection, but I know that Manchester will come together – they’ll show the unity that we’re proud off, and they’ll stand with in declaring that hate has no place in our city.”
Josh Halliday
Worshippers had arrived early for a special morning service at Heaton Park shul in north Manchester. It was Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, and rabbi Daniel Walker was leading prayers in his long white robes. By 9.31am, they were stained with blood.
As people made their way to the synagogue, they saw a small black car being driven erratically before it crashed into the gates. At first, some thought the driver had suffered a heart attack. But within seconds he had jumped out of the vehicle, dressed all in black, and had started stabbing those nearby.
It was “a rampage,” said one witness. An elderly man lay motionless and bleeding at the entrance to the shul. Another victim lay crumpled beneath the car bonnet. In the courtyard, the attacker appeared to be trying to break into the synagogue, stabbing and slashing at the windows as worshippers barricaded the doors.
Within six minutes, the knifeman lay prone after being shot by armed officers. As he lay on the floor, terrified passersby could see three white objects strapped to his waist. “He’s got a bomb!” shouted one man, as those inside the synagogue stared, terrified, from the windows above. “Shoot him!”
The attacker then tried to sit up. “Shoot him!” a witness shouted again. One of the officers fired a final, fatal shot.
In just six minutes, the assailant had brought terror to the Jewish community on their holiest day.
You can read our North of England editor’s full account here
Investigators seeking suspect’s devices
Vikram Dodd
The investigation is still trying to locate and examine all of the suspect’s electronic devices, looking for clues as to what radicalised him. Increasingly key is what material on the internet was consumed, as well as any searches for targets and attack planning before he staged Thursday’s atrocity, as well as whom he was in contact with. At this early stage of the investigation, detectives and other investigators suspect an Islamist motive but are looking for evidence to confirm or rebut that theory.
The shooting dead of the suspect has to by law be investigated independently by the Independent Office of Police Conduct, and the police watchdog confirmed it had started work.
Hannah Al-Othman
Bishop of Manchester David Walker said he first knew something had happened when he heard the police response. “I live only five minutes drive away from here, the first we knew was we heard the helicopters flying overhead,” he said, “and we knew that’s not a good sign when you hear that in the morning.”
“I know the Rabbi here,” he added, and said stories of the Rabbi, Daniel Walker, stepping in to aid congregants in the aftermath were “entirely in character,” describing him as “a good man, a lovely man,” who “would do what he could to protect his people.”
“I know lots of the people who live in this community, and I just feel for them in their shock at what’s been done to them,” he said. “We’re living in a time of increased tensions as we know. I think the communities in Manchester have been good at pulling together in times of crisis. We did that in 2017 when we had the Arena attack, we worked hard to show that you don’t beat hatred by showing more hate, you beat hatred by showing love. I hope that’s what we will do this time round.”
“The people who do these kind of atrocities, they want to divide us, that’s the whole point of it,” he added. “They want to drive us apart from each other. So the best defiance we can show is to be even more united, even more determined to hold together than we were before.”
Hannah Al-Othman
Manchester Rusholme MP Afzal Khan, who lives close to the synagogue, said he was “shocked and horrified” when he heard about the attack. “It’s horrific, it’s terrible, nobody wants to see this,” he said. “And this is not what reflects Manchester, this is not what Manchester is all about.”
He said that different faith communities in the area typically coexist peacefully. “In Manchester we have experience of difficult circumstances, and we’ve seen how we come together,” he said. “We also have experience of celebrating together, sharing of activities, festivals together. I’m someone who has done more than three decades of work of bringing communities together here in Greater Manchester.”
“I would say people get on,” he said, “this actually is out of place, that’s why I found it so shocking, and why I found it so horrific.”
