U.K. police on Saturday were questioning six people arrested on suspicion of terror offenses after an attack on a shul in northwest England on Yom Kippur that left two people dead and Britain’s Jewish community shocked and grieving.

Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by police on Thursday outside the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester after he rammed a car into pedestrians, attacked them with a knife and tried to force his way into the building.

Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed in the attack on Yom Kippur. Police say Daulby was accidentally shot by an armed officer as he and others barricaded the shul to block Al-Shamie from entering. Three other men are hospitalized with serious injuries.

Detectives say Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian origin who lived in Manchester, may have been influenced by “extreme Islamist ideology.” He wore what appeared to be an explosives belt, which was found to be fake.

Police said that Al-Shamie was on bail over an alleged assault on a woman at the time of the attack, but hadn’t been charged.

Three men and three women were arrested in the greater Manchester area on suspicion of the “commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism,” as police work to determine whether the attacker acted alone. A court on Saturday granted police five more days to hold four of the suspects: men ages 30 and 32, and women ages 46 and 61. An 18-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man are also being questioned.

Police haven’t identified those arrested or disclosed their links to Al-Shamie.

Antisemitic incidents on the rise
The attack has devastated Britain’s Jewish community and intensified debate about the line between criticism of Israel and antisemitism.

Recorded antisemitic incidents in the U.K. have risen sharply since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel’s ensuing campaign against Hamas in Gaza, according to Community Security Trust, a charity that provides advice and protection for British Jews.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations, which have been held regularly since the war in Gaza began, have played a role in spreading hatred of Jews.

Some also say that the U.K.’s recognition of a Palestinian state last month has emboldened antisemitism — a claim that the government rejects. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy was interrupted by boos and shouts of “Shame on you” on Friday as he addressed a vigil for victims of the attack in Manchester.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, the head of Orthodox Judaism in Britain, said that the attack was the result of “an unrelenting wave of Jew hatred” on the streets and online.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators were held in Manchester and London on Saturday despite objections from police and politicians. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that organizers should “recognize and respect the grief of British Jews this week” and postpone the protests.

About 100 people gathered in a central Manchester square in heavy rain, waving Palestinian flags and demanding an end to the war in Gaza.

In London, organizers said that about 1,000 people demonstrated against the banning of Palestine Action, a direct-action group that has vandalized British military planes and targeted sites with links to the Israeli military. It has been labeled a terrorist organization by the government, making support for the group illegal.

Police officers carried away a number of people who sat silently in Trafalgar Square holding signs saying “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.” Police said they made at least 493 arrests.

More than 2,000 people have now been arrested at protests since Palestine Action was proscribed in July, and more than 130 charged with terrorism offenses.

(AP)