The synagogue terror attacker shot dead by police has been identified as Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old “unfriendly” and “odd” recluse who neighbours say lived in pyjamas and flip-flops, as it emerged he may have sent death threats to an MP over Israel thirteen years ago.
Al-Shamie killed two Jewish worshippers during Thursday’s car and knife rampage outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, leaving three others fighting for their lives. The unmarried British citizen of Syrian descent was previously unknown to security services, though disturbing links to historic threats against a Conservative MP have now surfaced.
John Howell, who served as Conservative MP for Henley until last year, revealed he received threatening emails in 2012 after speaking about Israel’s right to defend itself from rocket attacks. One message from a “Jihad Alshamie” stated chillingly: “It is people like you who deserve to die.”
Killer’s Isolated Existence
The 35-year-old lived as a virtual hermit in a council house on Langley Crescent in Prestwich, just minutes from the attack site, for the past decade. Neighbours painted a picture of an antisocial loner who barely acknowledged those around him despite living in the community for years.
Kate McLeish, 38, who lives around the corner from Al-Shamie, told The Sun: “He wasn’t a neighbour that was friendly. I never said hello to him. He didn’t have that friendly way about him. I’ve lived here eight years and I’ve been told he was here this whole time but I never spoke to him, never had a conversation with him.”
The mother-of-one described him as “a bit of an odd guy” who drove a scruffy car and dressed bizarrely inappropriately for British weather. “He just wore pyjamas and flip flops and clothes you’d just wear in the house. Things that you lounge about in in front of the TV. But he always had his head covered with a prayer hat.”
Another neighbour told The Sun: “He had no wife or kids that I could see. He never seemed to speak to anyone around here.”
Disturbing Background Emerges
Al-Shamie came to Britain as a young child and was granted citizenship in 2006 when he was approximately 16 years old, the Home Office confirmed. His father appears to have worked as a trauma surgeon for several NGOs in warzones across the world, though the family’s full background remains under investigation.
Despite living in Prestwich for a decade, Al-Shamie remained an enigma to those around him. The killer appears to have worked as a tutor teaching English and computer programming, though neighbours rarely saw him with anyone else.
Marketing worker Kate McLeish, who last saw Al-Shamie two weeks before the attack, noted his peculiar behaviour: “He’d get out of his car and walk very fast back to his house. I often heard him speaking on the phone in his car.”
Another neighbour mentioned seeing him working out with weights in his garden, whilst Maija Savolainen was struck by his odd clothing choices: “I always remember him wearing flip flops. I always thought it was not really the weather for it.”
Security Services Blindsided
Greater Manchester Police confirmed Al-Shamie had no previous Prevent referrals, meaning authorities were unaware he posed any terror risk. The revelation has raised serious questions about how someone capable of such violence remained completely off the radar of security services.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood reiterated this point to GB News: “In terms of the attacker, this individual was not known to the security services. He has obviously been shot dead at the scene, but the police investigations will now continue at pace.”
The correspondence with then-MP John Howell from 2012 will now form part of the police investigation, potentially providing the only documented evidence of Al-Shamie’s extremist views prior to Thursday’s attack.
The Attack
Shortly after 9am on Thursday, Al-Shamie drove his car at speed into worshippers gathered outside the synagogue for Yom Kippur services, Judaism’s holiest day. Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror as he exited the vehicle and began stabbing anyone within reach.
“The second he got out of the car he started stabbing anyone near him. He went for the security guard and tried to break into the synagogue,” one bystander said. Another witness added: “The guy had a knife, and he was just stabbing the window trying to get in.”
Al-Shamie was wearing what appeared to be an explosive vest, prompting fears he intended to detonate a bomb. Video footage captured an onlooker saying: “He’s going to blow himself up, he’s trying to press the button,” before gunshots rang out and the suspect fell to the ground.
Armed police arrived within seven minutes and shot Al-Shamie dead after he failed to respond to warnings. The suspicious device was later assessed by bomb disposal experts and deemed not viable.
Victims and Heroes
The two victims killed have been identified as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both members of the Jewish community from Crumpsall. Three others remain in hospital with serious injuries, with one victim suffering a gunshot wound believed to be from police fire as officers acted to stop the attacker.
Rabbi Daniel Walker, who was leading the Yom Kippur service, was hailed as a hero for his calm response, barricading the synagogue doors and leading the congregation to safety. An eyewitness said: “They are true heroes.”
Three Arrested
Police have arrested three people on suspicion of planning the terror attack – two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s. They remain in custody on suspicion of “commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism”.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson branded the incident “horrific”, confirming: “This has been officially declared as a terrorist incident, and the investigation is now being led by Counter Terrorist Police.”
Community Terror
Local resident Shoshi Loofe, 40, a mother-of-three who attends the synagogue weekly, expressed the community’s terror: “It’s terrifying. I go to the synagogue every weekend. There’s only so much the security guards can do. If someone comes at them with a knife or a gun, we’re all dead.”
Delivery driver Gareth told BBC Radio Manchester he witnessed the police response: “They gave him a couple of warnings. He didn’t listen, so they opened fire. He went down on the floor, and then he started getting back up, and then they shot him again.”
National Response
Prime Minister Keir Starmer flew back early from Denmark to chair an emergency Cobra meeting, announcing that security would be stepped up at every synagogue across the country.
“The attack in Manchester this morning is absolutely shocking, and all of our thoughts are with those affected,” Starmer said. “I’m already able to say that additional police assets are being deployed to synagogues across the country, and we will do everything to keep our Jewish community safe.”
The Prime Minister later described Al-Shamie as “a vile individual” who “attacked Jews because they are Jews, and attacked Britain because of our values.”
Investigation Continues
As the investigation continues at pace, questions mount about how Al-Shamie – despite potentially sending death threats to an MP in 2012 – remained completely unknown to security services. The fact he lived as an isolated recluse for years, exhibiting odd behaviour that concerned neighbours, yet never triggered any official warnings, will likely prompt a serious review of terror prevention strategies.
The attack represents the deadliest assault on Britain’s Jewish community in years, occurring on their holiest day and shattering the peace of what neighbours describe as a “quiet community” that just wanted to be “left alone”.
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