What we so far know about the Manchester synagogue Yom Kippur terrorist

The Yom Kippur terrorist attack at the Manchester Heaton Park synagogue, which caused the death of two worshippers and the injury of three people, including the local security guard, once again reminded us that the threat of terrorism in Europe remains high, particularly against Jewish and Israeli targets. Further proof of this is the joint operation between German security forces and Israeli intelligence that recently led to the arrest of a Hamas-linked cell in Germany planning attacks against Jewish targets.

Going back to the Manchester attack, one must first ask why the British authorities had not increased security measures at high-risk soft targets such as the attacked synagogue on a sensitive day like Yom Kippur, given the rampant antisemitism in the country and the extremely high risk of attacks. It’s currently unclear whether the attacker acted entirely on his own initiative or was part of a network. While we wait for further information, it may be helpful to provide a brief overview of the attacker’s profile.

The perpetrator has been identified as Jihad al-Shamie, 35, a native of Syria who moved to the UK with his family at a young age and obtained British citizenship in 2006, at age 16. He has been working as an English and computer programming tutor and lived in the Langley Crescent area of Prestwich, located two miles from the Heaton Park synagogue. According to one of his neighbors, the family moved there approximately 20 years ago; Jihad did not stand out in any way and never spoke about politics.

Jihad’s father, Faraj al-Shamie, a surgeon who has worked as a trauma surgeon in war zones (including Sudan and Afghanistan), published a post on October 7, 2023, hailing Hamas’ attack as “God’s men on earth,” adding that they “prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Israel will not remain.” The social media post was uncovered and exposed by The Times of London.

Jihad al-Shamie’s background

According to initial reports by British officials, Jihad al-Shamie’s name did not appear in initial searches of police and security service records regarding terrorism. However, it soon emerged that the attacker had been recently arrested on suspicion of rape; he was on police bail at the time of the Yom Kippur attack, and he was due to appear in court soon. Moreover, al-Shamie had past convictions for several criminal offenses.

Jihad al-Shamie’s relationship and marriage situation appear to be quite chaotic. According to information published by The Sun, al-Shamie’s first marriage fell apart around six months ago. In the meantime, he secretly married 46-year-old NHS nurse Elizabeth Davis, who converted to Islam four years before, but it is yet unknown if she was legally his second wife. A source told The Sun that Davis drastically changed after her conversion: “She stopped communicating with relatives and friends…It was like she had been brainwashed.”

Furthermore, information about the attacker’s relationship with another woman from a Muslim family with a less conservative upbringing was published by The Manchester Evening News. The woman, who spoke under the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal and who left the country after a four-month on-off relationship, revealed that Al-Shamie hit her on multiple occasions and tried to impose “extreme views upon her.” He would tell her she was “brought up the wrong way” and pressured her to wear a niqab and to marry him. On another occasion, al-Shamie told his partner that he wanted to join ISIS. The two had met through the Muslim dating app Muzmatch and they would regularly meet at a hotel, as he did not want to bring her home and introduce her to his family. After breaking up, the woman was a victim of heavy stalking by al-Shamie who often stationed outside her home and workplace. The woman also revealed that he constantly lied about his real age and that he had three kids with a previous wife.

Ideological trigger

The police said al-Shamie “may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology.” Such a possibility appears quite clear from the information coming from his former partners, as he pushed his extreme views upon them. Moreover, the British police are also investigating if Shamie was also responsible for a death threat sent in 2012 to then-Conservative MP John Howell. According to The Guardian, Howell reportedly received an email signed “Jihad Alshamie” that said, “It is people like you who deserve to die.” The threat was most likely due to Howell’s pro-Israel stance.

Modus operandi

The attacker’s modus operandi mirrors tactics frequently employed by Islamist terrorists in Europe and Israel. The assault typically unfolds in two phases: an initial attempt to use a vehicle as a weapon to strike pedestrians, followed by a secondary attack involving a bladed weapon (when firearms are not available) aimed at maximizing casualties before the assailant is neutralized or apprehended by security forces. This pattern of attack has become increasingly prevalent across Europe, particularly since the emergence and rise of ISIS in 2014.

Lone wolf or network?

Shortly after the attack, three men and three women, aged between 18 and their 60s, were arrested in the Manchester area on suspicion of the “commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism,” as police work to determine whether the attacker acted alone. On October 4, the Head of Counter-Terrorism Police, Laurence Taylor, stated that they would be seeking warrants for further detention for all six individuals and stressed that the investigation was still in its early stages. Important elements could emerge from the analysis of the attacker’s electronic devices. Even if Jihad al-Shamie acted alone, it cannot be ruled out that he was in contact with others who may have contributed to his radicalization or even to the planning of the attack. It is important to remember that so-called “lone wolves” are often not “alone” at all, but rather part of an informal/spontaneous network of individuals, not hierarchically structured within a traditional organization, but still violently active.