Details are emerging of the terrorist who killed two Jewish men outside a synagogue on the holiest day of the religion’s calendar.
Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was a British citizen of Syrian descent, Greater Manchester Police have said.
He is understood to have entered the UK as a child and granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was around the age of 16.
Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed officers seven minutes after emergency services were alerted to the attack in Crumpsall on Yom Kippur.
It is understood that Al-Shamie’s name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service records.
Speaking on Sky News on Friday, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed Al-Shamie had not previously been referred to the Government’s anti-radicalisation scheme.
GMP said officers were “working to understand the motivation behind the attack” and confirmed the killer had not been referred to Prevent.
Al-Shamie, who is understood to have worked as a tutor teaching English and computing, appears to have lived in Prestwich, around two miles from the scene.
His name is linked to a property in the town and a neighbour recognised his face from photographs of the synagogue attacker.
She told the Daily Telegraph: “He lived there 10 years, with no wife or kids that I could see. He never seemed to speak to anyone around here.”
She added: “I’d see him walking around in his pyjamas and slip-on sandals, carrying a shopping bag.
“He was quite bulked up and used to keep his exercise weights in his garage. I’d see them there.”
Another resident, Simon Barlass, 56, told the Manchester Evening News he recently saw Al-Shamie, who he said lived with a family member, “bench pressing in his garden”.
Mr Barlass said he once lived in the property police appeared to have raided, but moved when his mother died in 1993.
A “Syrian family” moved in afterwards, he said, adding: “The guy who’s been shot, he lived there.”
It is not known whether Al-Shamie or his family came to the UK as asylum seekers or whether it was through another immigration route.
He claimed he had seen a Kia Picanto he believed was used in the attack parked nearby this week. “I passed it about three days ago,” he said.
Reports suggest Al-Shamie’s father is a doctor. A Facebook profile of a Faraj Al-Shamie features numerous posts about Syria and also includes a picture of a man, reported to be Jihad Al-Shamie, holding a baby in 2024 with the words “great welcome grandson”.
Faraj released a statement on Facebook on Friday condemning the attack.
He wrote: “The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has been a profound shock to us. The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns 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. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort.
"We kindly request that all media outlets respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time and refrain from using this tragic event in any context that does not reflect the truth.
"May God have mercy on the innocent victims, and we pray for the swift recovery of the injured.”
A dramatic picture of Al-Shamie shows the moment he stood outside the synagogue with unidentified objects strapped to his waist, initially thought to be an explosive device which police later said was not viable.
Counter-terrorism police are investigating if Al-Shamie sent death threats to an MP for his stance on Israel.
Former Tory MP John Howell, 70, received a barrage of threatening emails in 2012 - one of which was from a "Jihad Alshamie".
The letter read: "It is people like you who deserve to die."
The letter was sent after Howell, who was the MP for Henley until last year, spoke about Israel's right to defend itself after it came under rocket fire.
According to The Times, the letter is being investigated as part of the police's probe into yesterday's tragic terror attack in Manchester.
Police are working to establish if the letter's author is the same person who was shot dead outside the synagogue.
Three men remain in hospital with serious injuries after Al-Shamie,who is yet to be formally identified, rammed into people with a car before stabbing a man outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue.
Sir Grant Shapps told The Times that his father-in-law, Michael Goldstone, came “face-to-face” with Al-Shamie from inside the synagogue, where he is a member of the congregation.
The former Former Defence Secretary said: “”He was face-to-face with the terrorist, holding the inside of the door, as he tried to break down the front doors.
“The chap had turned up 10 minutes earlier before the car came back and smashed into the security.
“They locked the doors when the car crashed into the gate, which prevented more killings.”
Al-Shamie had been photographed wearing what was feared to be a vest with an explosive device before he was shot dead.
Meanwhile, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.
Speaking from Downing Street after a Cobra emergency committee meeting, Sir Keir condemned the “terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews”, which he said had been committed by “a vile individual”.
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