Terrorist who killed two at synagogue was Syrian granted UK citizenship in 2006

The terrorist who killed two Jewish men outside a synagogue on the holiest day of the religion’s calendar was a British citizen of Syrian descent, police have said.

Three people have been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack in connection with the killings carried out by Jihad Al-Shamie, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) added.

Al-Shamie, 35, who is understood to have entered the UK as a young child and been granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was around the age of 16, was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the attack in Crumpsall, Greater Manchester, on Thursday morning.

The force said two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.

It is understood that Al-Shamie’s name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service records, and he is not thought to have been under investigation.

GMP said officers were “working to understand the motivation behind the attack” and confirmed the killer had not been referred to the Government’s Prevent anti-radicalisation scheme.

He appears to have lived in Prestwich, around two miles from the scene.

His name is linked to a property in the town and a neighbour recognised his face from photographs of the synagogue attacker.

She told The Telegraph: “He lived there 10 years, with no wife or kids that I could see. He never seemed to speak to anyone around here.”

She added: “I’d see him walking around in his pyjamas and slip-on sandals, carrying a shopping bag.

“He was quite bulked up and used to keep his exercise weights in his garage. I’d see them there.”

Reports suggest Al-Shamie’s father is a doctor. A Facebook profile of a Faraj Al-Shamie features numerous political posts about Syria and also includes a picture of a man, reported to be Jihad Al-Shamie, holding a baby in 2024 with the words “great welcome grandson”.

A dramatic picture of Al-Shamie shows the moment he stood outside the synagogue with unidentified objects strapped to his waist, initially thought to be an explosive device which police later said was not viable.

Three men remain in hospital with serious injuries after Al-Shamie – who is yet to be formally identified – rammed into people with a car before stabbing a man outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue.

Among the men in hospital, one was stabbed and a second was hit by the car.

A third man “presented himself at hospital with an injury that may have been sustained as officers stopped the attacker”, police said.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited an unnamed synagogue on Thursday evening after he vowed to do “everything in my power” to protect Jewish communities in the UK.

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the terror attack was the “tragic result” of an “unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, campuses, on social media and elsewhere”.

He added: “This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come.”

GMP Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson praised the “immediate bravery” of security staff and worshippers who shut the attacker out during what Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham described as a “horrific antisemitic attack”.

Sir Stephen said: “There were a large number of worshippers attending the synagogue at the time of this attack, but thanks to the immediate bravery of security staff and the worshippers inside, as well as the fast response of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access.”

Former Tory minister Sir Grant Shapps told The Times that his father-in-law, Michael Goldstone, came “face-to-face” with Al-Shamie from inside the synagogue, where he is a member of the congregation.

Sir Grant told the newspaper: ““He was face-to-face with the terrorist, holding the inside of the door, as he tried to break down the front doors.

“The chap had turned up 10 minutes earlier before the car came back and smashed into the security.

“They locked the doors when the car crashed into the gate, which prevented more killings.”

Speaking from Downing Street after a Cobra emergency committee meeting, Sir Keir condemned the “terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews”, which he said had been committed by “a vile individual”.

Addressing the Jewish community in the UK, he said: “I promise you that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve, starting with a more visible police presence, protecting your community.”

Sir Keir said “additional police assets” would be deployed at synagogues across the country.

Elsewhere 40 people were arrested in Whitehall on Thursday evening during a protest organised by the Global Movement for Gaza UK, Scotland Yard said.

Posters shared on X called for pro-Palestine activists to meet at various locations around the UK between 5.30pm and 6pm on Thursday in support of Greta Thunberg’s flotilla, which was intercepted by the Israeli navy earlier this week.

One protester, Fiona Smith, 42, told The Telegraph: “I don’t give a f*** about the Jewish community right now.

“I thought about it and I’m sorry about what happened, but the whole story and why we’re here is because of what happened yesterday [with the flotilla].”

Pro-Palestine activists were also pictured marching through the streets of Manchester city centre on Thursday evening.

Published: 03/10/2025 by Radio NewsHub