Wife of Manchester synagogue terrorist breaks silence as she tells of rape ordeal
The man who carried out a terror attack at synagogue in Manchester reportedly raped his wife, telling her “In Islam you have to fulfil your husband’s need.”
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Elizabeth Davis, who converted to Islam after the death of two of her former partners, has told how she tried to divorce Jihad al-Shamie after he attacked her, but he told her “I’ll divorce you when I’m ready.”
She said he eventually agreed to a divorce five days before he carried out the synagogue attack.
She said he had complained that her adult children were “too Westernised” and wanted them to dress more conservatively, ban them from having boyfriends, and stop her son from drinking beer.
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Ms Davis was arrested after the attack on Heaton Park synagogue earlier this month but was later released. Two Jewish men, Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby died in the attack and three others were injured.
Ms Davis was married to al-Shamie for one year.
She told the Daily Mail he pressured her into an Islamic marriage, and not long afterwards he began taking issue with her children.
He told her: “I am not coming to your house again, I can’t be around your kids the way they are.
“You’ve got one drinking alcohol and you’ve got two girls who are too Westernised, they are going out drinking, they are not fully dressed.”
She said that he was controlling and abusive and if she was late back from work he would “grab her by the throat and tell her things like ‘I’ve told you to be on time. Say sorry to your husband.”
Last week, one of the men injured when he was shot during the attack was discharged from hospital.
Yoni Finlay is believed to have been hit by a police bullet at Heaton Park Hebrew Synagogue in Crumpsall on October 2 and underwent seven hours of surgery.
He is reported to have been helping to barricade the doors as Jihad Al-Shamie targeted the place of worship on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, died during the attack.
Mr Daulby is believed to have been inadvertently shot dead by armed police as they scrambled to the scene to stop al-Shamie, who had driven his car at worshippers outside, attacked others with a knife and tried to storm the synagogue, wearing a fake suicide belt.
A statement from Greater Manchester Police said: "The man who was injured with a gunshot wound has been discharged from hospital and is recovering at home."
The force said two other men injured in the attack, a security guard who was hurt when the attacker rammed his car outside the synagogue and a volunteer who was stabbed, remain in hospital in stable conditions.
Mr Finlay's ex-wife Naomi Finlay said following the attack: "He's in pain, obviously, but I think for him and anyone who's been injured or involved in any of that terrible day, I think it's the emotional toll which is going to take a lot longer to recover from."
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is carrying out an investigation into the attack as standard procedure, and is treating the officers who responded as witnesses, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said.
She said that police acted in a situation where "they believed a terrorist was likely to detonate an explosive device", adding: "There is no ambiguity around who is responsible for the deaths and injuries that took place on that day."