Manchester synagogue killer's family condemns 'heinous act'
Jihad Al-Shamie was shot dead by police after officers were called about the attacker ramming into people with a car and stabbing a man
The family of Manchester synagogue killer Jihad Al-Shamie have condemned his "heinous act".
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Killer Jihad Al-Shamie was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were called about the attacker ramming into people with a car and stabbing a man outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, on Thursday.
Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both died and three others remain in hospital with serious injuries following the attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day.
Al-Shamie’s family appeared to condemn the attack in a Facebook post, describing it as a “heinous act”.
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The statement, signed by Faraj Al-Shamie on behalf of the Al-Shamie Family, read: “The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has been a profound shock to us.
“The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians.
“We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened.”
Three people have been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack in connection with the killings.
Since Thursday’s terror attack, more details have started to emerge about the killer, with neighbours giving an insight into his life.
It is understood his name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service records, and he is not thought to have been under investigation.
Neighbours of the synagogue killer said he had lived there since around 2021, and one neighbour remembered a baby also living at the address but could not recall seeing a woman living there.
One woman said: “We used to see him out in the garden working out, doing weights, press-ups.
“He used to change his clothes. One day he would be wearing the full gown, to the floor and the next jeans and pyjama bottoms.”
In a statement released on Friday, Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Rabbi Daniel Walker, its president Hilary Foxler and chairman of trustees Alan Levy, described the terror attack as a “desecration”.
The trio went on to say the incident was “an episode that has changed us all forever”.
In a tribute to those who died, their statement added: “These were not simply members of our synagogue – they were our friends, our family – and their absence leaves a void that can never be filled.”