London: Manchester Synagogue Attacker Identified as British Citizen of Syrian Descent

London – Police have identified the suspect involved in the deadly attack at a synagogue in North Manchester that left three people dead. Greater Manchester Police confirmed that the assailant was 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shami, a British citizen of Syrian origin. The attacker was shot dead by police officers at the scene.

Two of the victims have been identified as Adrian Dolby (53) and Melvin Kravitz (66), both members of the Jewish community in Crumpsall.

The attack occurred on Thursday, coinciding with Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar. The synagogue — Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation — was crowded with worshippers at the time of the incident. Witnesses said the attacker first drove a car into people gathered outside the synagogue before launching a knife assault. Three others remain in critical condition.

The incident has sent shockwaves through the UK’s Jewish community, already on edge amid escalating tensions linked to the ongoing Israel–Hamas conflict in Gaza, now entering its second year.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack, calling it “deeply horrifying,” and expressed particular concern that it occurred on a sacred day. “This act of violence, carried out during Yom Kippur, strikes at the very heart of our values and our commitment to protect freedom of faith,” he said in a statement.