Manchester synagogue attacker id as 35 year old Syrian born

Jihad al-Shamie identified as terrorist who attacked Manchester synagogue at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue killing two, amid questions whether he acted alone or was part of a terrorist group as cops now reveal worshippers were inadvertently shot by responding officers.

Manchester, United Kingdom police have released the identity of the terrorist who carried out the deadly attack at a synagogue in the city during Yom Kippur, in which two people were killed and four others were wounded.

Jihad al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian origin, who was shot dead at the scene, Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall was identified as the alleged attacker.

🇬🇧 Greater Manchester Police just confirmed the unthinkable : 2 synagogue victims were shot by their own officers during this terror attack – one fatally.

The suspect, Jihad Al Shamie, had no firearm. The only bullets fired came from GMP’s armed response team.
According to… pic.twitter.com/HZJt9CdK5Z

— The Lie Lamaa 🏹 (@BhaktBusters) October 3, 2025

Manchester synagogue attacker- lone agent or part of terrorist network? 

Al Shamie was shot and killed by armed officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) after he rammed his car into worshippers and began stabbing individuals gathered for Yom Kippur services, one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar.

Greater Manchester Police said they were called to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue around 9:30 AM, shortly after services had begun.

Police reported that three additional suspects have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the attack: two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s.

According to initial reports from the Press Association, al Shamie’s name does not currently appear in existing police or security service counter-terrorism records, and he was not under active investigation prior to the attack. Further database checks are ongoing to determine whether his details appear in any other historical inquiries.

Was Manchester synagogue attacker linked to terrorist groups? 

Earlier in the day, GMP stated that the attacker’s identity was known to them but could not be publicly confirmed at the time due to ‘safety reasons at the scene.’ Bomb disposal units had been deployed because of suspicious items found on the suspect’s body, including a possible explosive device (which later turned out to be fake).

The incident has been declared a major terrorist incident. GMP confirmed that the ‘immediate danger appears to be over,’ but the area remains sealed off while forensic officers, counter-terrorism investigators, and explosives experts conduct searches.

Counter-terrorism detectives are working to establish al Shamie’s background, potential motives, and whether he had any connections to extremist groups. Officials stressed that at this stage, he is believed to have acted alone.

Official sources told British media that the terrorist Jihad al-Shami, who carried out the attack on a synagogue in Manchester where two people were murdered, entered Britain as a child and received British citizenship in 2006.

Neighbors of the attacker in the Manchester suburb of Prestwich, a couple of miles from the synagogue, said Al-Shamie’s family had lived in a house there for years. Several described seeing Al-Shamie lifting weights and working out in the backyard.

Geoff Halliwell, who lives nearby, told The Associated Press that he appeared to be ‘a straightforward, ordinary lad.’

Al-Shamie is accused of ramming a car into pedestrians outside the synagogue at around 9:30 a.m. local time and then attacking them with a knife.

Armed police declared a major incident and opened fire minutes later, killing the suspect along with inadvertently shooting dead two worshippers huddled by a doorway.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack, which he framed as a product of rising tide of ‘hatred’ in Britain.

‘This was a vile terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews,’ Starmer wrote on X. ‘Antisemitism is a hatred that is rising, once again. Britain must defeat it, once again.’