UK police named 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie as the attacker who murdered Jews outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, as antisemitism surges across Britain.
UK counter-terrorism police confirmed Friday that the terrorist behind the Yom Kippur synagogue attack in Manchester was 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent. Although formal identification is pending, investigators stated they are confident Al-Shamie was responsible for the assault that left two Jews dead and several injured.
Greater Manchester Police reported that Al-Shamie had not been flagged under the UK’s Prevent program, the government’s early-warning system meant to monitor radicalization. Three additional suspects—two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s—have been arrested on terrorism charges.
The attack occurred during Yom Kippur, when hundreds of worshippers had gathered inside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation. Armed police killed the attacker within minutes, preventing a massacre.
👏 Hero Rabbi Stopped Bloodbath
Eyewitnesses said Rabbi Daniel Walker blocked the synagogue doors with his body, stopping the terrorist from breaking into the sanctuary. His bravery saved dozens of lives inside, turning what could have been a wholesale slaughter into a narrowly contained tragedy.
🌍 A Climate of Hatred in Britain
Channel 12’s UK correspondent Elad Simchayoff described the moment as one of the darkest for British Jewry in living memory:
- “On Yom Kippur, the holiest day, Jews were murdered just for being Jews,” he wrote.
- He highlighted how antisemitic incitement has surged in Britain since Hamas’s atrocities last year: weekly calls for “intifada,” glorification of Hamas, vandalism of hostage posters, Jewish children told to hide school uniforms, and open street harassment.
⚠️ Britain’s Crisis
“This was no random act,” Simchayoff warned. “It is the direct fruit of a climate where hatred against Jews is tolerated. Anyone who excused, downplayed, or ignored this hate shares responsibility.”
The Manchester attack is more than a terror strike—it is a grim warning that Jewish life in Britain is under siege. And as Israel defends itself against Hamas and Iranian proxies abroad, Jews in the Diaspora are once again forced to guard their synagogues against jihadist violence at home.
