Authorities were interrogating six individuals detained on suspicion of terrorism following an assault on a synagogue in northwest England that resulted in the deaths of two individuals and deeply shook the Jewish community in Britain.
The incident unfolded when Jihad Al-Shamie, aged 35, was fatally shot by law enforcement outside the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester after he deliberately struck pedestrians with a car, attacked them with a knife, and attempted to breach the building’s security.
Among those who lost their lives during the attack on Yom Kippur, the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar, were congregation members Melvin Cravitz, aged 66, and Adrian Daulby, aged 53.
Law enforcement disclosed that Daulby was inadvertently shot by an armed officer while he and other worshippers were barricading the synagogue to prevent Al-Shamie from gaining entry. Three additional men sustained severe injuries and are currently hospitalized.
Investigators revealed that Al-Shamie, a British national of Syrian descent residing in Manchester, may have been radicalized by “extremist Islamist beliefs.” He was found wearing what seemed to be an explosive belt, later confirmed to be a hoax.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the deployment of police to synagogues across the U.K. following the Manchester attack, indicating his return to London to chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee, COBRA.
Authorities stated that Al-Shamie was on bail at the time of the incident for an alleged rape but had not been formally charged.
Three men and three women were apprehended in the greater Manchester region on suspicion of “commission, preparation, and instigation of acts of terrorism,” as authorities strive to ascertain if the perpetrator acted independently.
A court extended the detention of four suspects, comprising two men aged 30 and 32, and two women aged 46 and 61, by five days on Saturday. Additionally, an 18-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man are under interrogation.
Law enforcement has not revealed the identities of those arrested or their connections to Al-Shamie.
Escalating Antisemitic Incidents
The assault has left the Jewish community in Britain reeling and sparked discussions on the boundary between criticizing Israel and antisemitism.
According to the Community Security Trust, an organization offering support and safeguarding for British Jews, reported antisemitic occurrences in the U.K. have surged since the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent conflict in Gaza.
Some political figures and religious leaders alleged that demonstrations in support of Palestine, held regularly