The Manchester synagogue terrorist called 999 and said he had killed two Jewish people “in the name of the Islamic State”.
Knife-wielding Jihad Al-Shamie called the emergency services during his deadly attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue last Thursday as Jewish worshippers attended for the holy day of Yom Kippur.
The 35-year-old drove his car at worshippers then attacked others with a knife and tried to storm the synagogue while wearing a fake suicide belt. He was shot dead by police officers.
Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both died in the attack, which has caused an outpouring of grief and shock across the country.
In an update on Wednesday, Counter Terrorism Policing North West described how there had been “a week of deep trauma and mourning for the Jewish community at a time when they should have been observing one of the holiest periods in the calendar of their faith”.
The force said Counter Terrorism officers have arrested and interviewed six people at length and that two of those individuals were released without charge on Sunday evening.
It also confirmed further releases were planned to take place on Wednesday, adding “this does not mean our investigation has concluded”.
Extensive CCTV and house-to-house enquiries have also taken place and Counter Terrorism police have also spoken with potential witnesses and members of the community, the statement added.
Providing further information about the terror attack, the statement confirmed that Al-Shamie was seen acting suspiciously outside the synagogue before he was confronted by security.
This was not reported to police because he had walked away when challenged.
But around 15 minutes later, Al-Shamie 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 continued his attack.
Al-Shamie had a second knife in his possession and was also wearing a hoax device on his person. This device has since been assessed and confirmed to be a “non-viable device”
Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said: “Minutes after the first call was made to GMP and as firearms officers were making their way to the scene, Al-Shamie called 999 claiming responsibility for the attack. He also pledged allegiance to Islamic State.
“The attack continued but thanks to the bravery of security staff, worshippers and the fast action of police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access to the synagogue.”
Specially-trained officers are in frequent contact with the families of victims to provide them with support and updates, the statement also explained.
Counter Terrorism Policing North West also confirmed that Al-Shamie had never been referred to the Prevent programme and was not known to counter terrorism officers.
The force added: “However, 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.
“It’s important to stress that we look across all the evidence gathered to make our assessment of the motivation behind this attack, this assessment continues and there may be further drivers and motivations identified.
“We are also starting to understand more about him as an individual, and I’m grateful to all those who have contacted police with information.
“This remains a live counter terrorism investigation.
“Although we have made significant progress since the attack took place, we are still in the relatively early stages and there is much work to be done. We are also supporting the coroner with their respective investigation.”
Earlier on Wednesday, The Sun reported that Al-Shamie made the 999 call and told an operator: “I have killed two Jews in the name of the Islamic State.”
Despite claiming he was acting on behalf of Islamic State, police and MI5 have not been able to establish any links between Al-Shamie and the terror group, the newspaper added.
Instead, security chiefs are understood to believe he was a “lone wolf”.
Al-Shamie, 35, who was on bail for an alleged rape, was shot dead by police during the attack.
Mr Daulby is believed to have been shot dead by police while attempting to prevent Al-Shamie from entering the synagogue during the attack.
He was killed with Mr Cravitz, 66, from Crumpsall, a worshipper who helped prevent the attacker from entering the premises.
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.
The police watchdog, which is investigating the incident, also said it was examining the use of lethal force by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) firearms officers.
Born in Syria, Al-Shamie was granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was around 16, having entered the UK as a young child.
He had claimed to be a devout father but cheated on his wife and married a second woman days after meeting her, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The newspaper said former friends of the terrorist described him as someone who played violent video games, sometimes for 12 hours a day, before dropping out of his media studies degree at Liverpool John Moores University after just one year.
He had enrolled at the university in 2010, the newspaper reported.
Al-Shamie also smoked cannabis, the Telegraph reported.
According to the Daily Mail, the terrorist was also obsessed with messaging women on a Muslim dating app called Muzmatch, despite being married.
The newspaper said at one stage Al-Shamie was married to two women at the same time and was reportedly a father-of-three.
One of the attacker’s ex-girlfriends told The Manchester Evening News that he did not disclose he was married with a family, and was violent and abusive towards her.
She said he had expressed an interest in the so-called Islamic State and had shown her extreme videos.
