Police have named the man behind Thursday’s deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue as Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent.

The attack happened outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Al-Shamie first drove a car into worshippers before getting out and stabbing people with a knife. Security staff stopped him from entering the synagogue itself. Police arrived within minutes and shot him dead after he was seen wearing what turned out to be a fake suicide vest.

Two people were killed, while three others were injured — one from being stabbed, another struck by the vehicle, and a third who may have been hurt as police moved in to stop the attacker.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed the incident is being treated as terrorism. Three more people — two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s — have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related offences.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the attack as a deliberate act of antisemitism. He promised more visible police protection at synagogues nationwide.

Rabbi Daniel Walker, who was leading prayers when the attack began, has been widely praised for his calm response. Witnesses say he quickly closed the synagogue doors and led the congregation to safety, preventing what could have been an even greater tragedy.

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called the attack the “tragic result of an unrelenting wave of Jew-hatred” that Jewish communities in the UK have been facing.

Police confirmed Al-Shamie had lived in the UK since childhood and became a British citizen in 2006. He had not previously been referred to the government’s anti-radicalisation program, Prevent.

Counter-terrorism experts say the use of a fake suicide vest suggests the attack had hallmarks of Islamist extremism. Robin Simcox, the commissioner for countering extremism, noted that more Jewish people in the UK now feel unsafe than in previous years, a shift he called “pretty fundamental.”

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the city “will never stand aside when one of our communities is attacked,” calling it a horrific antisemitic assault.

Police have praised both worshippers and security staff for their bravery, saying their actions stopped the attacker from entering the synagogue and likely saved many more lives. Photo by David Dixon, Wikimedia commons.