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.

The attack has drawn sharp international reaction and intensified criticism of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned British authorities for failing to curb what he called “blatant and rampant antisemitic incitement” in public spaces and on campuses.

“The authorities in Britain have failed to take the necessary action to curb this toxic wave of antisemitism and have effectively allowed it to persist,” Saar said, calling for “more than words” from the UK government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also weighed in, linking the attack to broader failures to confront terrorism. “As I warned at the UN: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism,” he said. “Only strength and unity can defeat it.”

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli went further, directly accusing the Starmer government of “pouring fuel on the flames” by supporting a Palestinian state while failing to counter radical Islamist movements inside the UK. “Antisemitism in Britain stands at record highs, and today it claimed the lives of two worshippers,” Chikli said.

British officials have not released details on Al-Shamie’s potential ties to extremist networks. Police confirmed two additional arrests connected to the attack but have not disclosed their identities or charges.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)