UK Police Admit Synagogue Victim Died from Accidental Gunshot During Manchester Attack

UK police confirmed on Friday that one of the victims killed in Thursday’s attack on a Manchester synagogue was accidentally shot by responding officers.

The incident unfolded at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation during Yom Kippur, when a car-ramming and stabbing attack left two worshippers dead and three others seriously injured. Police identified the deceased as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66.

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said a pathologist had “provisionally determined that one of the deceased victims would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury.” He stressed that the attacker did not carry a firearm, noting: “The only shots fired were from… authorised firearms officers,” adding that the tragedy “may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence” of the police response.

The attacker, 35-year-old UK citizen of Syrian descent Jihad al-Shamie — who was on bail for alleged rape — was shot dead by police minutes after he rammed worshippers with his car and stabbed a security guard. He was wearing a vest with a suspected explosive device, later confirmed to be non-functional.

Two gunshot victims had been “close together behind the synagogue door, as worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry,” Watson explained. One remains hospitalised but is not in life-threatening condition. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is now investigating.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy was booed at a vigil for the victims, where mourners chanted “shame on you.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as “a dreadful terrorist attack to inflict fear, attacking Jews because they are Jews,” pledging stronger protection for Jewish communities nationwide.

Synagogue leaders said “the greatest tribute” to the victims would be for communities “to come together in peace and solidarity, to challenge the evil of antisemitism.”

Daulby’s family hailed him as a “hero” who helped stop the attacker from entering the building. Manchester United FC announced it will observe a minute’s silence at its Saturday match in their honour.

The attack, one of the worst antisemitic incidents in Europe since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault on Israel, has reignited fears over rising antisemitism in the UK amid ongoing Gaza war protests.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis condemned the atrocity as the “tragic result of Jew hatred,” warning: “For so long we have witnessed an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred on our streets, on campuses, on social media and elsewhere.”