UK synagogue attacker claimed allegiance to Islamic State in call to police

The man whose attack on a synagogue in northern England last week resulted in the deaths of two Jewish worshippers phoned police minutes afterwards to say he was acting for Islamic State, investigators said on Wednesday.

Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, made the call after driving a car into pedestrians and attacking people with a knife at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Crumpsall district, police said.

Armed officers shot dead Al-Shamie, who was armed with two knives and had appeared to be wearing an explosive belt, at the scene. Police later said one of the two victims killed in the attack had also died after being struck by police gunfire.

Pledge of allegiance in 999 call

Rob Potts, assistant chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, said minutes after officers had first been alerted to the incident, Al-Shamie himself called the 999 emergency number to claim responsibility for the attack.

"He also pledged allegiance to Islamic State," Potts said in a televised statement.

Thursday's attack, in which Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed took place during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Three other men remain in hospital with serious injuries.

The attacker was not previously known to counter-terrorism police and had never been referred to the country's counter-radicalisation scheme, Prevent. However, police say he did have a criminal history and had recently been arrested on a rape charge before being released on bail.

"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," Potts said.

"It's important to stress that we look across all the evidence gathered to make our assessment of the motivation behind this attack. This assessment continues, and there may be further drivers and motivations identified."

Officers arrested six people following the incident but all were to be released without charge. Two were released on Saturday, and the remaining four were to be released on Wednesday.

"This does not mean our investigation has concluded," Potts said.

Al-Shamie's family said they were in "profound shock" in a statement on Facebook and wanted to distance themselves from what they called his "heinous act".