Synagogue killer rang 999 pledging Islamic State allegiance during attack

Synagogue killer Jihad Al-Shamie rang 999 during his deadly attack pledging allegiance to the so-called Islamic State terror group, police have said.

The 35-year-old made the call claiming responsibility for the attack after driving at people in his car outside Heaton Park Hebrew Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, last Thursday morning as Jewish worshippers attended for the holy day of Yom Kippur.

He then attacked others with a knife and tried to storm the synagogue, wearing a fake suicide belt, before being shot dead by armed police.

Father-of-three Melvin Cravitz, 66, was killed, along with Adrian Daulby, 53, believed to have been inadvertently shot by police as he ran to block the synagogue doors to stop Al-Shamie getting inside to continue his knife rampage.

On Wednesday, the police watchdog said it had found no evidence of misconduct in the police’s actions.

But the three Greater Manchester Police officers who fired their weapons are being treated as witnesses and the case remains under review, The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

Responding to the update, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Sir Stephen Watson, said he welcomed that the watchdog had found that “no misconduct is apparent” in the force’s response.

The IOPC said several other officers involved in the attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Synagogue in Crumpsall last Thursday are also being treated as witnesses.

Counter-terror police believe that Al-Shamie, a Syrian-born UK citizen, was influenced by extremist Islamist ideology.

Despite claiming to act on behalf of Islamic State, MI5 have reportedly been unable to establish any links between Al-Shamie and the terror group or other proscribed organisations.

Counter-terror police initially arrested six people in connection with the attack, releasing two without charge on Saturday.

The four others arrested were released without charge on Wednesday, police said, prompting suspicions Al-Shamie may have been a “lone wolf” who carried out the atrocity on his own after being inspired by Islamic terrorism.

Updating the media on Wednesday on the ongoing police investigation, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW), 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.”

Mr Potts said the police investigation continues and reiterated that while Al-Shamie was on bail for an alleged rape, he was not known to either the Government’s anti-radicalisation programme Prevent or to counter-terror police.

He 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. This remains a live counter-terrorism investigation.”

Mr Potts confirmed the killer had been seen acting suspiciously outside the synagogue shortly before launching the attack.

He continued: “This was not reported to police because the man walked away when challenged.

“Around 15 minutes later, he 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 resumed his attack.

“He had a second knife in his possession and was also wearing a hoax device on his person.”

The four people arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts have all now been released from custody, police said.

They are two men, aged 30 and 32, and a woman, 61, all arrested in Prestwich, and a 46-year-old woman arrested in Farnworth, Bolton.

Mr Potts added: “This has 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.

“From the moment the first call came in to police, our efforts have been driven by a desire to establish the truth for all those affected and the wider community.

“They have been at the forefront of our minds and continue to be in our thoughts today.”

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 so-called Islamic State is a jihadist Islamist terror group who conquered territory in Syria and Iraq and declared a ‘caliphate’ in 2013 before battlefield defeats.