One man and two women, aged between 18 and mid-40s, have been arrested following the Manchester synagogue attack, bringing the number of people held to six
Three more people, a man and two women, have been arrested by officers investigating the Manchester synagogue attack, bringing the number of people held on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism to six, Greater Manchester Police said.
One man and two women, aged between 18 and mid-40s, have been arrested. Head of Counter Terrorism Policing Laurence Taylor said that the killer, 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology.
Police are planning to seek warrants of further detention under anti-terror powers for all six individuals arrested in connection with the attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. In a statment releasd this evening, Mr Taylor expressed his sympathies with the people affected by the horriffic events of the synagogue attack.
“I am now able to share more information regarding our investigation, however I must stress that we are in the relatively early stages of our enquiries, and this remains a developing picture,” he said.
“We have been told from witness accounts that a man was seen acting suspiciously outside the synagogue before he was confronted by security and walked away. Based on the information we have at this time, we don’t believe this was reported to Greater Manchester Police because the man had left the area.
“Around 15 minutes later, the individual returned in a vehicle and began his horrific attack. There were a large number of worshippers in attendance but thanks to the bravery of security staff, worshippers and the fast action of the police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access.
Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died. Mr Cravitz was the security guard who worked at the synagogue at the time of incident and he and othres courageously stopped the attacker from entering the building.
Mr Taylor continued: “We believe the suspect, who died at the scene, was 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie. A suspicious device that was attached to his torso was assessed and we can confirm it was a fake.
“Based on some fast time assessments conducted on our systems, this individual does not appear to be known to Counter Terrorism Policing, however he does have a non-CT related criminal history. This includes a recent arrest for rape, which resulted in him being bailed.
“At this stage, we believe Al-Shamie may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology. Establishing the full circumstances of the attack is likely to take some time. We have now arrested three further people, one man and two women, aged between 18 and mid-40s. This brings the number of people in custody arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism to six.”
The force stressed that the investigation was still in its early stages and asked people to refrain from speculation or sharing unverified information that could potentially cause unnecessary delays in police enquiries and additional upset for all those impacted by the horrific events.