Police in Manchester, England, have focused their inquiry on six people in relation to the attack on a synagogue on Thursday that left two people dead, with the suspects in custody on suspicion of terror offenses.
This follows the death of the chief suspect, Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old United Kingdom citizen of Syrian descent who was shot at the scene by police. Al-Shamie was said to have not appeared in the British government’s counter-terrorism program, Prevent.
Why It Matters
The attack occurred during Yom Kippur, considered to be the holiest day in the Jewish calendar when the Jewish people focus on atonement and repentance.
Al-Shamie rammed a car into pedestrians, attacked them with a knife and tried to force his way into the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. The incident has since been declared a terrorist incident.
Melvin Cravitz, 66, was stabbed to death, but police later clarified that Adrian Daulby, 53, had died from an accidental gunshot by an armed officer as congregants barricaded the synagogue to block Al-Shamie from entering. Three other men are hospitalized with serious injuries.
What To Know
Three men and three women were arrested in the greater Manchester area on suspicion of “commission, preparation, and instigation of acts of terrorism,” the Associated Press reported.
Police have yet to determine if Al-Shamie worked alone, and the suspects remain unidentified beyond their ages, with the men aged 30, 32, and 43, while the women are aged 18, 46 and 61. Police have not disclosed their potential links to Al-Shamie.
Police did reveal in the days following the attack that Al-Shamie may have been influenced by “extreme Islamist ideology.” Local law enforcement also had discovered he wore what appeared to be an explosive belt but determined to be fake.
Al-Shamie was free on bail over an alleged rape at the time of the attack, but he had not been charged.
Motive for the attack remains a topic of debate, with officials and authorities unable to say if Al-Shamie was motivated by recent developments such as the United Kingdom’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state, an act that some allege has emboldened antisemitism while the British government rejects any such suggestion.
What People Are Saying
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wrote in a post on X on Saturday: “I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognize and respect the grief of British Jews. This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain. It is a time to stand together. We are a country that welcomes all people, no matter their faith, to stand under the same flag as neighbors and friends. That is who we are and who we will always be. Hatred and violence will never win.”
Head of Counter Terrorism Policing Laurence Taylor, in a statement: “Our specialist teams are now leading the investigation into what happened at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue and working closely with Greater Manchester Police. As we do this, those who have been killed and injured are at the forefront of our minds. As are their families, friends and all of those who love them.”
What Happens Next?
A court on Saturday granted police five days to hold four of the suspects for further investigation into the matter.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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