British police have identified the suspect in the deadly Yom Kippur terror attack outside a Manchester shul as Jihad al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed that Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed officers after ramming his car into a group of mispalelim outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Crumpsall neighborhood and stabbing at least one person. Two people were tragically killed and four others injured in the assault. One of the victims was reportedly the shul’s security guard.
“This is the day we hoped we would never see, but which deep down, we knew would come,” Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said in a statement. He blamed what he called an “unrelenting wave of Jew hatred” across Britain — on the streets, on campuses, and online — for creating the environment that enabled such an attack.
Rabbis Mirvis praised Rabbi Daniel Walker, the rav of the shul, who was credited by witnesses with barricading the sanctuary doors and preventing the attacker from entering. “His courageous leadership, together with the resilience of his congregation, are an inspiration to us all,” Chief Rabbi Mirvis said.
“This is not only an assault on the Jewish community, but an attack on the very foundations of humanity and the values of compassion, dignity and respect which we all share,” Rabbi Mirvis added.
(Warning: sarcasm follows} One thing is certain. This had nothing to do with Islam.
ReplyDelete