MANCHESTER, UK — British counter-terrorism police have formally named the assailant in Thursday’s devastating car-ramming and stabbing attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue as Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent.
The horrific attack, which claimed the lives of two Jewish worshippers and seriously injured three others, has been unequivocally declared a terrorist incident. The bloodshed occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, a deliberate act of hatred that struck as congregants gathered for morning prayers.
The Attack and Swift Police Response
The assault unfolded just after 9:30 a.m. when Al-Shamie is reported to have driven a car directly into pedestrians near the synagogue gates in Crumpsall, before exiting the vehicle and launching a knife attack. The two fatalities are confirmed to be members of the local Jewish community.
In a commendation of extraordinary bravery, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Chief Constable Stephen Watson credited the swift action of both the synagogue’s security staff and worshippers for preventing the attacker from gaining access to the main building, undoubtedly averting a greater tragedy.
Armed police, responding to the scene within minutes of the initial 999 call, shot and killed the suspect at 9:38 a.m. The confirmation of the assailant’s death was delayed after he was found to be wearing a vest with the appearance of an explosive device, which investigators later determined was not viable.
Investigating the Attacker’s Profile
Police confirmed that the deceased attacker, Jihad Al-Shamie, was a British national of Syrian heritage who had been granted citizenship in 2006. In a key development, counter-terrorism officials stated that initial checks revealed Al-Shamie’s name did not appear in any records of Prevent, the government’s counter-terrorism programme.
“We are working urgently to understand the motivation behind the attack as the investigation continues,” Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said at a briefing, noting that three other individuals—two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s—have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism. Authorities are now racing to trace the attacker’s associates and digital footprint to determine if he was acting alone or as part of a wider conspiracy.
The targeting of a religious community on its most solemn day drew immediate and fierce condemnation from across the country. Prime Minister Keir Starmer cut short a foreign trip to chair an emergency COBRA meeting, denouncing the “vile individual” who “attacked Jews because they are Jews.” Security has been ramped up around synagogues and Jewish institutions nationwide as the community struggles to come to terms with the calculated violence.