Police Name Victims of Manchester Synagogue Terror Attack

• Oct 03, 2025

British police on Friday identified the two men killed in a car and knife attack at a Manchester synagogue, an assault that took place on the holiest day of the Jewish year and has been linked to rising antisemitism in the country.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both local residents, died in the attack outside the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall. Three other victims remain in hospital in serious condition.

The incident unfolded Thursday morning when a suspect rammed his car into pedestrians before attacking worshippers with a knife. The man, who appeared to be wearing an explosives belt, was shot dead by police seven minutes after the assault began. Authorities later confirmed the device was a fake.

The attack took place during Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and the most sacred date in the Jewish calendar. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis described the violence as the product of “an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred,” saying it was “the day we hoped we would never see.”

Police identified the attacker as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent who moved to the U.K. as a child and was granted citizenship in 2006. Investigators are treating the case as an act of terrorism.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed that Al-Shamie had not been on the radar of either the police or Prevent, the national counter-extremism program. Officers also arrested three other people on suspicion of preparing or assisting acts of terrorism: two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the killings, calling the attacker “vile” and stressing that he targeted Jews purely for their faith. Addressing the Jewish community, Starmer pledged: “I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve.” He also urged Britons to stand united in compassion and solidarity, promising that “Britain will come together to show you that this is a place where you and your family are safe, secure and belong.”

As investigators continue to search for answers about Al-Shamie’s motive, the attack has sparked grief, fear, and renewed calls for stronger protections for Jewish communities across the country.