The terrorist who attacked the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester called law enforcement to pledge fealty to ISIS in the middle of his assault last Thursday.
“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,” the Greater Manchester Police said on Wednesday. “We are continuing to investigate the full circumstances and motivation behind what happened. The investigation is continuing at pace.”
The call was made as police were already on their way to the scene of the crime.
Counter Terrorism Policing North West Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said investigators were now “more confident that he was influenced by extreme Islamist ideology,” with the 999 call forming part of that assessment, but it was important that law enforcement was continuing to gather information to determine the motive behind the attack.
Counter Terrorism Policing head Laurence Taylor acknowledged on Friday that 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie “may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology” to murder two and seriously injure three others at a Jewish house of worship on Yom Kippur.
Al-Shamie was not known to Counter Terrorism Policing, but did have a criminal record and was out on bail for an alleged rape when he committed the terrorist attack.
The father of the Syrian-born British citizen, Faraj Al-Shamie, had praised ISIS for its operations in his home country in a 2015 Facebook post, remarking that he decided “to become an ISIS even for a day.”
Attacker had long history of terror sympathies
The elder Al-Shamie also praised the October 7 massacre on the day of the attack, which he attributed to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. He called the Gazan attackers the “real compass of men” and called on Syrians to join in the fight. On October 12, he added that the Gazan actions would be followed with the fall of a “great traitor” in the region. However, three days later, Al-Shamie also appeared to appeal for the release of the elderly, women, and children from Gazan captivity. In 2014, he expressed admiration for Hamas’s “resistance” during Operation Protective Edge.
A statement on behalf of the family was issued by the elder Al-Shamie, stating that last week’s attack was a shock and they strongly condemned “this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians.”
“We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened,” read the Facebook statement. “Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort.”
Warrants were issued on Sunday for four individuals arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation, and instigation of terrorist acts related to the Al-Shamie attack. Two other people, an 18-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man, were released on Saturday.
According to police, Al-Shamie had scoped out the synagogue prior to the attack. He was seen acting suspiciously and walked away when confronted by security.
The terrorist returned 15 minutes later, ramming the synagogue with his vehicle before stabbing congregants with a knife. He had a second knife in his possession, police said on Wednesday. Al-Shamie was wearing a fake suicide explosive belt when police shot and killed him.
Congregants Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz were killed in the attack, but Daulby appeared to have been hit by police gunfire during the incident.
Manchester police also noted on Wednesday that a separate ISIS-inspired gun plot against the Jewish community, currently being prosecuted, was unrelated to the Crumpsall Yom Kippur attack. The cell was arrested in May 2024.