One of the victims killed in Thursday’s attack at a synagogue in Manchester was shot by police during their attempts to bring the unarmed attacker under control, officers said on Friday in a statement.
“It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad Al-Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP’s Authorized Firearms Officer,” the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) statement said.
“It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end.”
Police added that one of four people injured and currently receiving treatment in hospital also suffered a gunshot wound. Both people believed to have been shot were behind the doors of the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue.
Earlier on Friday, police named the two men killed in the attack as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, both local residents.
Britain declared Thursday’s attack, which occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, as a terrorist incident. The suspect drove a car into pedestrians and then stabbed a security guard.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has deployed more police to synagogues.
“We must be clear, it is a hatred that is rising once again, and Britain must defeat it once again,” he said on Thursday.
“To every Jewish person in this country, I also want to say this: I know how much fear you will be holding inside of you, I really do. And so on behalf of our country, I express my solidarity, but also my sadness that you still have to live with these fears.”
Police said they could find no records that Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, had been referred previously to the country’s counter-radicalization scheme, Prevent.
Calls for protest to be postponed
Meanwhile, Britain’s government and the police on Friday urged organizers of a planned pro-Palestinian protest in London this weekend to cancel or postpone the event.
Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood urged protesters to “take a step back” for a few days to give the Jewish community time to grieve and process what has happened.
Police have shot and killed a suspect who is said to have driven a car into people outside a synagogue in northern England before going on a stabbing rampage, killing two and seriously wounding four on the holiest day of the Jewish year.
Saturday’s demonstration has been organized by Defend Our Juries to oppose the British government’s July decision to ban the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws, making it a crime to be a member.
The Metropolitan Police said they wanted to deploy every available officer to protect communities affected by the Manchester attack but were instead having to prepare for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in London’s Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of Palestine Action.
In response to the police, Defend Our Juries said they condemned the attack on the Jewish community in Manchester. They said it was the police’s choice whether or not to make arrests at the protests.
“We urge you therefore to choose to prioritize protecting the community, rather than arresting those peacefully holding signs in opposition to the absurd and draconian ban of a domestic direct action group,” Defend Our Juries said.
In the hours after the attack on Thursday, several pro-Palestinian protests took place in British cities. Police clashed with demonstrators near the prime minister’s official residence at Downing Street, leading to 40 arrests.
