Manchester Synagogue Assault Casualties Named as Home Secretary Confirms Assailant Was Not Known to Law Enforcement
Both individuals fatally wounded in yesterday's violent incident on a synagogue in the northern English city have been identified as fifty-three-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, police have said.
Greater Manchester police stated formal identification is still pending but their families have been notified and family liaison officers are in contact.
Brief but Violent Terror Occurs
The victims were killed when an attacker used a vehicle to ram into the premises of the local Jewish worship center in Crumpsall, then stabbed worshippers in a six-minute rampage that only ended when armed officers fired upon him.
Additional individuals were critically wounded in the attack on Judaism's holiest day, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Perpetrator Named
Law enforcement named the assailant on Thursday night as the 35-year-old, 35, a UK national of Syrian descent.
Greater Manchester police disclosed that three other people – two males in their thirties and a female in her sixties – had been arrested “on suspicion of planning, preparation and encouragement of acts of terrorism”.
Official Comments
The interior minister has stated that the man who perpetrated the attack in Greater Manchester was not known to the police.
“In terms of the attacker, this person was not known to the intelligence agencies,” commented the Home Secretary.
“He has reportedly been fatally wounded at the scene, but the official inquiry will now proceed rapidly.”
Autopsies of the victims – each individual are from Crumpsall – will take place during the day.
Heightened Protection Measures
The security service and counter-terrorism police will operate at a heightened state of alert in the coming weeks, indicating concern that the Manchester synagogue attack may be followed by others.
Policing at synagogues nationwide is to be enhanced.
Jewish Population Impact
Perceptions of safety in the UK's Jewish population have declined sharply in the recent period, according to the most comprehensive study of UK Jewish residents.
The research found thirty-five percent of Jews felt unsafe in the UK in the current year, compared with 9% in two years prior.
Updates will follow on the latest developments on this story as we get them.
