Manchester synagogue terror attack LIVE: Nigel Farage erupts over Palestine protests

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has thanked emergency service workers who responded to the synagogue attack on a visit to Greater Manchester Police headquarters.

Speaking to about 40 first responders, Sir Keir, who was joined by his wife Lady Starmer, said: "I wanted to come and see you to be able to say on my own behalf as Prime Minister, but on behalf of the whole country, thank you for your response yesterday.

"It's a very humble thank you."

Sir Keir, who went to the scene before visiting police HQ and said he had seen body-worn footage of the incident, added: "I am absolutely clear in my mind of the professionalism of the response, the speed of the response, and also that an absolutely awful incident would have been even worse if it hadn't been for your response.

Three suspected Hamas members were arrested in Berlin, Germany, after reportedly being commissioned to obtain weapons in Germany to carry out attacks against Jewish and Israeli institutions.

The weapons were apparently sourced by the suspects from criminal organisations in Scandinavia and shipped to Germany through several countries, including Austria, according to Israeli broadcaster i24NEWS. Hamas has denied any connection to the individuals arrested.

There is no suggestion that the three were connected to the Manchester attack.

One of the victims injured in the Manchester synagogue attack was working for the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity which provides security to the Jewish community.

Its chief executive Mark Gardner said in a statement: "I said after October 7 that I did not believe in 'reassurance', because it sounds like a magic wand that nothing will happen.

"Instead, I gave you my 'assurance' that CST would do everything in our power to keep Jews safe so as to encourage strength and resilience.

"In pursuit of that mission, one of our CST personnel was seriously injured in yesterday's terror attack at Heaton Park Synagogue. We pray for his continuing recovery and salute the courage of all those who helped stop the terrorist from getting into the shul.

"We will keep doing all we can in the protection of our community and thank all of those who support us in doing so."

A fundraiser for the CST on the GoFundMe website has now raised more than £10,000.

In recent years Faraj Al-Shamie has been a heavy critic of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and a vocal supporter of the Syrian Free Army and new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

In August, Faraj also penned a stinging post against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu branding him an "idiot" taking the "time to deceive his followers."

Faraj also angrily ranted on social media posts against Netanyahu and his followers, slamming them as "tyrants and criminals".

But today he has distanced himself from his son's horrific actions and wrote on Facebook today: "The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has been a profound shock to us.

"The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians.

"We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort.

"We kindly request that all media outlets respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time and refrain from using this tragic event in any context that does not reflect the truth.

"May God have mercy on the innocent victims, and we pray for the swift recovery of the injured."

Another video, also filmed in 1998, shows Jihad as a youngster enjoying a day out at the now-closed King Arthur-themed fun park Camelot, in Charnock Richard, Lancashire - laughing at a pretend giant dragon in a cage at the site.

While a home video from 2008 - on a family trip back to Syria - 18-year-old Jihad is seen meeting relatives back in the Middle-East and visiting family graves.

On that trip they visit the now largely-destroyed archaeological site at Palmyra, in central Syria, that was captured by ISIS in 2015 and heavily damaged.

Jihad is seen watching the sunset in his homeland among the ruins, while playing with his brothers and posing for their dad in shorts and t-shirts.

YouTube videos on the dad's personal channel and seen by the Express show well-loved and adored children in bright dungarees playing in their back garden in Prestwich - one of the UK's biggest Jewish communities.

One video shows the young boys blowing kisses to their dad as he holds a video camera, with the doting dad laughing and joking with his boys.

The Express understands killer Jihad al-Shamie was granted a British passport in 2006 aged 16, but YouTube videos dating back to 1998 - when the terrorist was just eight years old - was already in the UK.

One video entitled 'Trafford' show Jihad with his two brothers with their grandfather visiting shops in the area of Manchester near United's iconic Old Trafford stadium.

The boys visit a toy shop in the Trafford Centre shopping mall where they play games and giggle when shown the three cups magic trick, with their elderly grandad watching on wearing a traditional shemagh Arabic head dress with scarf bandana across his forehead.

The family then visit the Trafford Centre's food hall, marvelling at all the different restaurants on offer.

Later Jihad and his brothers sit outside and tuck into ice creams, while wearing baseball caps on backwards.

The father of Manchester synagogue terrorist Jihad al-Shamie has stressed that their family's "hearts and thoughts are with the victims" and expressed their shock at the terror act.

And the father, a warzone trauma surgeon, seems to have gifted his murderous son all the opportunities to make a wonderful life for himself in the UK.

Jihad grew up with his two brothers Jawad and Kenan in North Manchester - after a childhood in Syria under the oppressing rule of now ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Their father Faraj Al-Shamie is a respected trauma doctor who has worked for several NGOs in war zones across the world.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage condemned pro-Palestine protests after the terror attack in a statement on X.

A person who died in the Manchester synagogue terror attack suffered a gunshot wound as armed officers attempted to shoot the killer, Greater Manchester Police said.

Chief constable Sir Stephen Watson said the only shots fired outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall were by armed police as terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie did not have a firearm.

Sir Stephen said another victim is in hospital after suffering a gunshot wound, but their condition is not life-threatening.

The police chief said: "The Home Office Pathologist has advised that he has provisionally determined that one of the deceased victims would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury.

"It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad Al-Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP's Authorised Firearms Officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community.

"It follows, therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end."

A top Rabbi has called for the UK and Europe to declare a "state of emergency" to protect Jews saying "lives might have been spared" if governments had acted and protected communities from rising antisemitism.

A year ago the European Jewish Association (EJA), which represents hundreds of Jewish communities, called on authorities to formally deploy a "heightened level of protection for Jewish communities".

But on Thursday Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, murdered two Jewish worshippers and left three people in hospital with serious injuries in an antisemitic terror attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, in Manchester. Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed police.

The newly-named Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally has described the Manchester synagogue terror attack as "horrific" and warned that "hatred and racism of any kind cannot be allowed to tear us apart".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria - who is herself Jewish - have arrived at the scene of yesterday's terror attack in Manchester.

Pictures showed the sombre faced couple holding hands and accompanied by police officers.

A man drove into pedestrians and stabbed people outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur, killing two and injuring at least three on Thursday morning.

Police shot the attacker, 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, within minutes; his fake suicide belt was later confirmed harmless.

Two Jewish community members, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed, while three others remain hospitalized.

Authorities arrested three additional suspects and are treating the incident as a terrorist attack, though the motive remains unclear.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the assault as an antisemitic attack and pledged stronger protection for Jewish communities.

Leaders from across political and religious lines expressed shock, with the Chief Rabbi warning of rising antisemitism in Britain.

Neighbours of the synagogue killer said he had lived there since around 2021, and one neighbour remembered a baby also living at the address but could not recall seeing a woman living there.

One woman said: "We used to see him out in the garden working out, doing weights, press-ups.

"He used to change his clothes. One day he would be wearing the full gown, to the floor and the next jeans and pyjama bottoms."

Al-Shamie's picture appears on the Facebook page of his father, Faraj Al-Shamie.

A Metropolitan Police statement said: "The horrific terrorist attack that took place in Manchester yesterday will have caused significant fear and concern in communities across the UK, including here in London.

"Yet at a time when we want to be deploying every available officer to ensure the safety of those communities, we are instead having to plan for a gathering of more than 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday in support of a terrorist organisation.

"By choosing to encourage mass law breaking on this scale, Defend Our Juries are drawing resources away from the communities of London at a time when they are needed most.

"We urge them to do the responsible thing and delay or cancel their plans."

In a social media statement on X, Defend Our Juries responded to the police letter by saying: "Today, the Metropolitan Police wrote to us to ask that we postpone Saturday's mass protest... Our response in short: Don't arrest us then."

Another march by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign is expected on October 11, ending outside Downing Street's gates.

Referring to yesterday's demonstrations, Shabana Mahmood told Sky News she wished individuals had taken a step back to allow grieving.

She noted the issues driving the protests are longstanding and unlikely to resolve soon, suggesting a brief pause for communities to process the loss.

The Metropolitan Police has written to protest group Defend Our Juries, urging them not to hold a planned march in Trafalgar Square on Saturday.

The letter cited significant pressure on policing resources, stressing the need for visible reassurance and protective security across London communities.

However, the organisation, which has led demonstrations against the terrorist ban on Palestine Action, defiantly stated they would proceed with the event.

Pro-Palestine marches took place in the wake of a terror attack in Manchester, which Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described as "dishonourable" and "fundamentally un-British."

Ms Mahmood, who has previously been pictured at pro-Palestine rallies herself, called for demonstrators to "step back" from plans for upcoming marches, arguing this would show "some love and some solidarity" with Britain's Jewish community. A

central London demonstration protesting the Israeli navy's halting of a Gaza aid flotilla erupted into clashes with police outside Downing Street on Thursday evening.

Large crowds carrying Palestinian flags and placards filled Whitehall into the evening, amplifying their message. The Metropolitan Police reported 40 arrests during the protest, with six for assaults on officers.

The family of Adrian Daulby, one of the victims of yesterday's attack, has paid tribute to him on Facebook.

The brief message said: "As Adrian’s family, we are heartbroken by his passing.

"We kindly ask for privacy at this time as we grieve and seek the answers we need. Thank you for your understanding and respect."

Two counter terrorist forensics were seen walking into the home of the Manchester synagogue terrorist this morning.

They arrived at the scene on Langley Crescent, in Prestwich, at about 8.15am in a grey four-by-four pickup vehicle.

The two men wearing casual clothing walked through the cordon and into the semi-detached house carrying a black case which read 'forensics', a rucksack, and a blue cylinder.

Loud "thuds" could be heard coming from inside - though it is unknown what caused them.

A small group of press is also outside the house.

One police car and three police officers could be seen guarding the semi-detached house on Langley Crescent, in Prestwich.

The cordon is 40 foot covering the driveway and extending onto a pathway in front of the property

Flags in the House of Commons have been lowered for the victims of the attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, agreed for the flags to be lowered until 8pm on Friday.

Robert Jenrick, the Shadow Justice Minister, has voiced grave concern about tomorrow's scheduled pro-Palestinian rallies in central London and elsewhere in the wake of what he called yesterday's "gut-wrenching" attack.

He said: "This was not just an antisemitic attack, it was an anti-British attack.

"We shouldn't be surprised by this because antisemitism and extremism has been permitted to grow in our society for too long now.

"With respect to the potential marches and rallies that are being proposed at the weekend, including in Manchester, I think that's a matter for the organisers.

"The protests we saw last night were deeply disrespectful and distasteful.

"You cannot permit people to be out on the streets shouting 'Jihad' or 'From the River to the Sea' or 'globalise the intafada' on the very night people have been killed in this most brutal attack."

A former British Army officer's fundraiser in the wake of Thursday's terror attack at a Manchester synagogue smashed its target within hours of going live.

But Andrew Fox also launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his Labour colleagues, accusing them of failing to take a proper moral stand against terrorism.

Mr Fox, a former Parachute Regiment officer with three Afghanistan tours under his belt, set up the appeal as a means of showing solidarity with the UK's Jewish community after the atrocity, in which three people, including the attacker, later named as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, were killed.

The 38-year-old PhD student and advocate for the Jewish community, who is now a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, launched the GoFundMe page late on Thursday afternoon.

The page initially aimed to raise £3,000 for the Community Security Trust (CST), the charity that provides security to Britain's Jews - but by early evening, donations had soared past that total, with contributions pouring in from across the UK and beyond, according to the platform.

The man who killed two people in an antisemitic terror attack on a Manchester synagogue on Thursday lived in a council house just two miles from where he carried out the atrocity and "he never spoke to anyone".

Greater Manchester Police said Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died after Jihad Al-Shamie drove into a group of people outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue before stabbing a man. Three others remain in hospital with serious injuries.

Al-Shamie was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the attack in Crumpsall on Thursday morning, which took place on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day.

Three people have been arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack in connection with the killings.

The victims ofThursday's terror attack outside a synagogue in Manchester have been named as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66. The pair were killed in the car and knife attack outside the the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Yom Kippur — the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said it believes Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, was responsible. The 35-year-old was shot dead at the scene by armed police, seven minutes after officers were alerted to the attack on Thursday morning. It is believed that Al-Shamie’s name has not appeared in initial searches of police and security service records, and he is not thought to have been under investigation.

The man who carried out an antisemetic terror attack in Greater Manchester was not known to the police, the Home Secretary has confirmed.

Shabana Mahmood told GB News: “In terms of the attacker, this individual was not known to the security services. He has obviously been shot dead at the scene, but the police investigations will now continue at pace.”

Two men were killed after Jihad Al-Shamie drove into a group of people outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue before stabbing a man. Three others remain in hospital with serious injuries.

Al-Shamie was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the attack in Crumpsall on Thursday morning, which took place on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day.