Key facts
- Volunteer security guard Ivor Rosenberg confronted Jihad Al-Shamie outside a Manchester synagogue before an attack.
- Al-Shamie drove a car into the synagogue's gates and then attempted to stab worshippers.
- Two worshippers, Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby, were killed in the attack.
- Police shot and killed Al-Shamie after he tried to force his way into the synagogue.
- Rosenberg stated that the attack could have been a massacre if the assailant had a gun.
A volunteer security guard at a Manchester synagogue has described confronting the attacker before he drove a car into worshippers and stabbed them, stating that the incident would have been a massacre if the assailant had been armed with a gun. Ivor Rosenberg, 78, was on duty at the Heaton Park synagogue for Yom Kippur services when he encountered Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who initially claimed to be looking for his car.
Rosenberg stated that Al-Shamie appeared suspicious, and after being asked to leave, he returned shortly after and drove a dark car into the synagogue's wall and gates. Rosenberg and another volunteer, Alan Levy, then rushed inside to call the police. As Al-Shamie attempted to force his way into the building with a knife, worshippers inside held the doors shut. Police arrived at the scene, and Al-Shamie was killed by police gunfire after trying to gain entry.
The attack resulted in the deaths of two worshippers, Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53. Daulby is understood to have been killed by a stray police bullet. Three other individuals sustained injuries and remained in hospital. Security guard Bernard Agyemang, who was hit by the car, was the last person to be discharged from hospital.
Rosenberg expressed deep devastation over the loss of community members and voiced concerns about the future safety of Jewish people in the UK, stating, "I don't think this is a safe country for Jews to live in."