On Yom Kippur, a horrific assault on a Jewish sacred space in Heaton Park, Manchester, took the lives of two congregants. The assailant, a 35-year-old Jihad al-Shamie, was shot and killed by police minutes later. Authorities believe that al-Shamie was radicalized by the extreme Islamist ideology. This has sounded the alarm with local residents and kicked off more digging.
The attack targeted civilians on Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar. Witnesses reported that al-Shamie shouted, “This is what you’re going to get for killing our children,” as he attempted to break into the synagogue armed with a knife. His actions have rocked our community and taken our hearts hostage.
In the aftermath of the attack, al-Shamie’s father, Faraj al-Shamie, issued a statement condemning his son’s actions. He expressed profound sorrow over the tragedy, stating, “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.” – Faraj al-Shamie
Residents living near Jihad al-Shamie’s former residence had long filed complaints about his suspicious actions. One neighbor noticed that parties at the al-Shamie residence were getting less communal. Family members reportedly even attempted to “stake the Qur’an” on their own suburban street. One former resident remembered when al-Shamie started donning long, full-length robes, a physical marker that worried the community about his possible radicalization.
“They just started wearing all the robes and everything. I thought [one relative] was being radicalised because he wouldn’t speak to us for a bit.” – neighbor
Jihad al-Shamie’s behavior freaked out enough people that the police were dispatched to his family’s house in early 2023. They then acted to rectify the safeguarding failures uncovered. He may not have been known to counter-terrorism officials before the attack. One local told us of an encounter in which al-Shamie biked into their community and began preaching to children, adding that the experience was “rather scary” and “overbearing.”
“He was coming up the road preaching to kids about the Qur’an. It was quite intimidating. It was intrusive.” – neighbor
Residents also told us that al-Shamie’s partner had actually moved out several months prior to the attack. This marked shift, compounded by his family’s increasingly erratic actions, sent up huge red flags around the Greater Boston Area. One resident remarked on the noticeable shift in demeanor:
“It was the change because I would talk to them all the time and then [one of the family] just started rocking up in the robes. He went from not going down that path to going down that path.” – resident in Prestwich, north Manchester
While federal investigations proceed, the outcome remains to be seen. Local authorities are doing their best to get a clearer picture of Jihad al-Shamie’s motives and background. The tragic events of this Yom Kippur have many people asking how such violence could suddenly erupt in their own community.