British police announced Wednesday that Jihad al-Shami, the terrorist who carried out last week’s deadly attack at a Manchester synagogue, called police minutes after assaulting Jewish worshipers and declared that he was acting on behalf of the Islamic State group. Investigators said the call provides the clearest evidence yet that al-Shami had been radicalized by Islamist ideology before the attack. According to police, al-Shami shouted at his victims, “This is what you deserve for killing children,” apparently referring to Israeli military actions in Gaza.
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Terrorist Jihad al-Shami was arrested for rape and released on bail.
(Photo: Daily Mail)
Al-Shami, 35, was born in Syria and came to Britain as a child, receiving British citizenship in 2006. During the Yom Kippur attack, he rammed his car into congregants and stabbed others while carrying two knives. Two worshipers were killed — 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Kravitz — and five others were wounded. Three of the injured remain hospitalized in serious condition. A police investigation later found that Daulby was accidentally shot by officers responding to the scene.
Greater Manchester Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts revealed that moments after the first officers arrived, al-Shami himself called the emergency line, 999, claiming responsibility and swearing allegiance to ISIS. According to The Sun, he told dispatchers: “I killed two Jews in the name of the Islamic State.”
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A memorial rally for the victims of the Manchester attack
(Photo: Hannah McKay/ Reuters )
Police said al-Shami was not previously known to counterterrorism units and had not been referred to the government’s deradicalization program. However, he did have a criminal record and was recently arrested on suspicion of rape before being released on bail without charges.
“At this stage of the investigation, we are increasingly confident he was motivated by extremist Islamist ideology,” Potts said. “His call to 999 is one of the key reasons for that assessment. We continue to review all the evidence to determine his motives, and additional factors may still emerge.” So far, police have found no direct link between al-Shami and ISIS, classifying him as a “lone wolf” attacker.
Earlier this week, the Daily Mail reported that a woman who dated al-Shami after meeting him on the Muslim dating app Muzmatch said he forced her to watch ISIS execution videos. Their four-month relationship, she said, ended after he spoke about wanting to join ISIS. Though she was horrified, she never believed he would act on it.
Following the attack, British police arrested six people, two of whom were released on Saturday. The remaining four are expected to be freed soon. Potts emphasized that the investigation is still ongoing.
Al-Shami’s family said in a Facebook statement after the attack that they were “deeply shocked” by his actions and condemned the killings as “an abhorrent act.” However, British media later revealed that his father, a surgeon, had previously praised Hamas and celebrated the October 7 terror attack in Israel, calling Israel “a sworn enemy” and Hamas “men of God.”