The Manchester synagogue terrorist made a call to the police during the attack, where he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, Counter Terrorism Policing North West has confirmed.
Jihad Al Shamie, 35, made the call claiming responsibility for the attack after he had driven at worshippers at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, as members of the Jewish community observed services to mark Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day.
Counter Terrorism Police say that minutes after a member of the public called Greater Manchester Police at 9.31 am to report that a car had been driven towards members of the public and a man had been stabbed, perpetrator Al-Shamie rang 999 claiming responsibility for the attack.
He then attacked others with a knife and tried to storm the synagogue, wearing a fake suicide belt.
Father-of-three Melvin Cravitz, 66, was killed, along with Adrian Daulby, 53, believed to have been inadvertently shot by police as he ran to block the synagogue doors to stop Al Shamie getting inside to continue his knife rampage.
Three men remain in hospital with serious injuries, including a security guard with car impact injuries and a Community Security Trust (CST) worker with stab wounds.
Specially trained officers are in frequent contact with the families to provide support and update them as the investigation progresses.
It is understood that counter-terror police believe that Al Shamie, a Syrian-born UK citizen, was influenced by extremist Islamist ideology.
Witness accounts corroborate that, before the deadly attack, Al Shamie was seen acting suspiciously outside the synagogue before he was confronted by security.
This was not reported to the police because the man walked away when challenged.
Around 15 minutes later, he returned to the scene in a black Kia vehicle and deliberately drove the car at innocent members of the public before colliding with a wall. He then stepped out of the vehicle armed with a knife and resumed his attack.
A spokesperson for Counter Terrorism Police North West said that six people have been interviewed at length.
They confirmed that two of those individuals were released on Sunday, with further releases planned for today, but maintained that this does not mean the investigation has concluded.
“We can confirm that, in the initial stages of the attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, a call was made by the attacker to police claiming to pledge allegiance to the so-called Islamic State,” a statement said.
“We are continuing to investigate the full circumstances and motivation behind what happened. The investigation is continuing at pace.
“This remains a live counter terrorism investigation.”
“We have conducted assessments across our systems, and reiterate that Al-Shamie had never been referred to the PREVENT programme, nor was otherwise known to Counter Terrorism Policing.
“At this stage of our investigation, we are more confident that he was influenced by extreme Islamist ideology; the 999 call forms part of this assessment.
On Monday 6 October, family members, congregants from the Heaton Park synagogue, and members of the wider Jewish community gathered at Agecroft Jewish Cemetery in Salford to pay their respects.
Last week, it was confirmed that police presence across Jewish communities would be stepped up across Salford in the aftermath.
This followed a decision by Greater Manchester Police to deploy officers to Jewish neighbourhoods to provide “high visibility.”
On the day of the attack, Salfordian Andrew Rosemarine, a regular worshipper at the synagogue, praised the efforts of the “security people who did a wonderful job stopping more casualties and the police who shot down the attacker.
He issued a plea for unity: “Brothers and sisters of Salford, of Manchester, of the North West, please, please do everything you can to foster better relations with people of all other faiths and of none. If Britain is to be great again, we have to work together, all of us.”
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