Details Emerge About Manchester Synagogue Attack
Terrorist jihadist al-Shami pledged loyalty to the Islamic State in a phone conversation with police during last week’s synagogue attack, according to counterterrorism officials.
New information continues to surface about the Manchester synagogue incident, including insights gathered in the immediate aftermath. Officials revealed Wednesday that Jihad al-Shami, a 35-year-old Syrian immigrant, contacted a police operator during the attack and claimed to have “killed two Jews in the name of the Islamic State.”
This call occurred after Al-Shami approached the Heaton Park synagogue, where worshippers and volunteer security guards asked him to leave. He then drove away, struck a pedestrian, exited his vehicle, and launched a knife attack. Worshippers secured the synagogue doors, and al-Shami was observed attempting to attack through a window by police, who arrived roughly seven minutes after the incident began.
Police shot Al-Shami at the scene, while gunfire from the attackers also struck members of the local Jewish community inside the building.
Authorities have stated that the attack appears to be connected to “radical Islamist ideology,” although they have not definitively categorized it as a terrorist act. The counter-terrorism unit noted, “We are continuing to investigate the full circumstances and motives behind the incident. The inquiry is moving forward quickly.”
Initially, Jihad al-Shami’s name was made public shortly after the attack, with police claiming he was unknown to them. However, this has proven to be inaccurate, and more details about his history continue to emerge. Reports indicate that al-Shami has three wives, with a teenage girlfriend also implicated.
These marriages took place despite the fact that bigamy is illegal in the UK. All individuals involved are reportedly followers of Islam, with two of the wives being white and likely having converted. Following the attack, one of his wives has been arrested on terrorism-related suspicions.
Reports suggest that al-Shami’s first wife had three children. Additionally, another woman has alleged that he raped her “multiple times,” asserting his belief that he had the right to marry “up to four wives” based on Islamic law.
