Manchester Jewish House of Worship Attack Victims Named as Home Secretary Says Attacker Was Not Known to Law Enforcement

Both individuals killed in yesterday's attack on a synagogue in the northern English city have been named as 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, police have said.

Local law enforcement said formal identification is yet to take place but their relatives have been informed and specialist support staff are providing assistance.

Six-Minute Terror Unfolds

The men were lost their lives when an perpetrator used a car to crash through the premises of the local Jewish worship center in Crumpsall, then stabbed worshippers in a six-minute rampage that concluded when specialist police fired upon him.

Three others were seriously injured in the violent incident on Judaism's holiest day, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Attacker Named

Police named the attacker on yesterday evening as Jihad al-Shamie, 35, a UK national of Middle Eastern origin.

Greater Manchester police revealed that three other people – two males in their 30s and a female in her sixties – had been detained “on suspected involvement of planning, preparation and encouragement of acts of terrorism”.

Government Comments

The interior minister has stated that the individual who perpetrated the violent incident in Greater Manchester was not known to the police.

“In terms of the perpetrator, this person was unknown to the security services,” said the Home Secretary.

“He has reportedly been fatally wounded at the location, but the official inquiry will now continue at pace.”

Autopsies of the deceased – both of whom are from Crumpsall – will be conducted during the day.

Increased Protection Arrangements

The security service and counter-terrorism police will function at a elevated readiness level in the coming weeks, indicating concern that the Manchester synagogue attack may be followed by others.

Policing at Jewish worship centers nationwide is to be increased.

Jewish Population Effects

Perceptions of security in the Britain's Jewish community have declined sharply in the recent period, according to the most comprehensive study of British Jews.

The investigation found thirty-five percent of Jewish individuals felt unsafe in the UK in the current year, compared with 9% in 2023.

Updates will follow on the latest developments on this story as we get them.