Manchester Synagogue Attack Inquiry To Examine Deaths 2026

Key Points

• The death of Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby, victims in the Manchester synagogue incident, will be subject to a public inquiry as per Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
• The attack occurred at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, North Manchester, on 2nd October 2025 during Yom Kippur celebrations.
• Melvin Cravitz died from multiple stab wounds; while Adrian Daulby was killed in the process when he attempted to lock the synagogue doors after being shot by armed police officers.
• Jihad Al-Shamie, the attacker, aged 35, was also shot dead by the police.
• Ms Mahmood pointed out that the inquiry was asked for by the coroner and will help bring up sensitive national security information.
• Greater Manchester Police had missed an opportunity to analyse data on the mobile devices seized from Al-Shamie before the attack.
• A total of three other people were also injured in the attack.
• According to the Home Office, there has been a 10% increase in the number of recorded hate crimes against Jews in England and Wales over the year until March.
• Ms Mahmood also announced that £250 million more will be provided for police funding in order to increase patrols in strategic Jewish areas.

Manchester Crime (Manchester Mirror) October 13, 2026 – The UK has announced a public inquiry into the deaths of two Jewish men killed during the 2025 Yom Kippur attack at Manchester’s Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, after the coroner requested a process capable of examining evidence that could not be fully considered in an inquest.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the House of Commons on Monday that the inquiry would examine the deaths of Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby, who were killed during the attack on 2 October 2025. As reported by the BBC, she said:

“What happened that day must be fully understood.” She added that the inquiry would “ensure that all evidence can be heard, including any sensitive national security material that could not otherwise be fully heard in the coroner’s court.”

The announcement followed the first anniversary of the attack, which occurred while members of Manchester’s Jewish community were observing Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Ms Mahmood said two “brave men” had lost their lives and three others had been seriously injured.

What happened during the Manchester synagogue attack?

The attack began when Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, drove a car towards people outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester. According to the Religion Media Centre, he then attacked people with a knife and attempted to enter the building.

As reported by the BBC, Mr Cravitz died from multiple stab wounds. Mr Daulby was fatally shot by armed police as he attempted to secure the synagogue doors against the intruder. Police shot Al-Shamie dead at the scene.

The Times of Israel reported that Al-Shamie told police he was acting for Islamic State before officers shot him. The report also stated that he rammed his car into the synagogue gates during prayer services, stabbed one congregant to death, and tried to storm the building before being shot by police.

The attack prompted a major police response and heightened security around Jewish sites across the UK. In the days afterwards, Greater Manchester Police and other forces increased patrols, with the BBC reporting that hundreds of extra officers were deployed following the incident.

Why has a public inquiry been announced?

The public inquiry was announced at the request of the Chief Coroner of England and Wales, Judge Alexia Durran. Last month, she indicated that she would write to the Home Secretary to recommend converting the inquests into Mr Cravitz’s and Mr Daulby’s deaths into a public inquiry.

As reported by The Jewish Chronicle, Judge Durran’s proposal came after the Home Office sought to keep certain information relating to MI5 confidential during the planned inquest, citing national security concerns. A public inquiry can provide a different legal framework for examining such material while allowing relevant evidence to be considered.

Ms Mahmood said the inquiry would ensure that “all evidence can be heard”, including sensitive national security information that could not otherwise be fully heard in the coroner’s court. The announcement was reported by Reuters, the BBC, The Times of Israel, The Jerusalem Post and LBC.

The inquiry will focus on the deaths of Mr Cravitz and Mr Daulby. It is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding their deaths, although the government has not yet published the inquiry’s full terms of reference, chair, timetable or location.

What did the Home Secretary say?

Addressing MPs, Ms Mahmood said the country had recently marked the first anniversary of the terror attack at the Heaton Park synagogue.

As quoted by the BBC, she said:

“On that tragic day in October last year, while our Jewish community observed Yom Kippur, two courageous individuals—Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby—lost their lives, and three others sustained severe injuries.”

She continued:

“What happened that day must be fully understood. Therefore, at the coroner’s request, I am now announcing a public inquiry into the deaths of Mr Cravitz and Mr Daulby.”

Ms Mahmood also placed the attack within a wider pattern of threats facing Jewish communities in Britain. According to The Times of Israel, she described the Heaton Park attack as “just one of a series of attacks on our Jewish community”, referring to a stabbing in Golders Green in London, arson attacks on Jewish targets in the capital, and a foiled plot against Manchester’s Jewish community.

She said the government had increased police funding by an additional £250 million to boost police presence in key Jewish areas and tackle antisemitism. “But I know we cannot simply build higher walls around our Jewish community and expect them to live in fear,” she said, according to The Times of Israel. “So we must root out the evil of antisemitism wherever it lurks in society.”

Did police miss warning signs before the attack?

The inquiry announcement follows earlier admissions by Greater Manchester Police that it missed an opportunity to identify material relevant to the attack before it happened.

As reported by the BBC, Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said Al-Shamie had previously come to the attention of Greater Manchester Police in relation to two criminal allegations not linked to terrorism. He was arrested on 13 February 2025 on suspicion of breaching a non-molestation order and again on 21 September 2025 on suspicion of rape. At the time of the synagogue attack, he was on police bail.

Sir Stephen said police seized Al-Shamie’s mobile devices during each arrest. He said the material on those devices was significant because it demonstrated an extremist mindset, but it was not analysed before the attack on 2 October 2025.

“I must confirm that the importance of the information on Al-Shamie’s devices was not recognised, as they had not been analysed prior to the attack on October 2, 2025,” Sir Stephen said, as reported by the BBC. He described the failure to review the data as a “missed opportunity” and said he was “deeply sorry” for the possibility that the force’s handling of the material had added to the suffering of those affected.

He said he hoped independent reviews and ongoing processes would compile all available evidence and leave no questions unanswered.

What other cases are connected to the attack?

The announcement also follows the sentencing of Mohammad Bashir, 31, who received a life sentence at Manchester Crown Court in July for plotting a separate attack alongside Al-Shamie on the UK Defence Academy in Shrivenham.

According to the BBC, revelations connected to that case prompted the police chief’s expression of regret over missed opportunities that might have revealed the plot to attack the synagogue. The BBC also reported that two men were arrested on the eve of Yom Kippur in connection with an alleged plot involving a homemade bomb.

Separately, the BBC reported in November 2025 that a 31-year-old man had been arrested at Manchester Airport on suspicion of terror offences in connection with the synagogue attack investigation. The report said three other men had been treated in hospital for serious injuries following the attack.

How has the attack affected Britain’s Jewish community?

The attack occurred during a period of heightened concern about antisemitism in Britain. The Times of Israel reported that a series of violent attacks over the past year had shaken Britain’s Jewish community, amid increased antisemitism following Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

New Home Office figures, reported by The Times of Israel, showed that hate crimes targeting Jewish people in England and Wales rose by 10% in the year ending March. Recorded offences increased from 2,874 to 3,162. The figures represented the second-highest level of religious hate crime directed at the Jewish community since records began in 2018, behind only the year ending March 2024.

The Home Office data also indicated that offences rose after the Heaton Park attack. The figures were published last week, shortly before Ms Mahmood’s announcement in Parliament.

Background of the development

The Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue is located in Crumpsall, north Manchester. The attack took place on 2 October 2025, when worshippers had gathered for Yom Kippur services.

Jihad Al-Shamie drove his car towards people outside the synagogue before leaving the vehicle and attacking people with a knife. He attempted to enter the synagogue and was shot dead by armed police. Mr Cravitz and Mr Daulby were killed, while three other people were seriously injured.

The deaths were initially subject to inquest proceedings. However, the Chief Coroner recommended that the inquests be converted into a public inquiry after the Home Office raised national security concerns over material connected to MI5. Ms Mahmood has now formally announced that inquiry, saying it will enable a fuller examination of the evidence.

Prediction: How will this development affect the community?

For Manchester’s Jewish community, the public inquiry is likely to provide a formal route for families, survivors, congregants and community representatives to seek answers about what happened before and during the attack. The process may be particularly important for those seeking clarity on the police handling of Al-Shamie’s seized devices and on any intelligence material relevant to the attack.

For wider Jewish communities across the UK, the inquiry may influence future debates on synagogue security, police resourcing, counter-terrorism procedures and the handling of extremist material. The government’s additional £250 million police funding announcement suggests that visible protection around Jewish sites will remain a central part of the response.

For policymakers and public bodies, the inquiry could lead to recommendations on how police and security services assess, share and act on information about individuals who come to their attention. Its findings may also shape how coronial proceedings handle sensitive national security evidence in future cases involving terrorism.

For residents of north Manchester, the inquiry is likely to keep attention on community safety, policing and interfaith relations. While its outcome cannot undo the losses suffered by the Cravitz and Daulby families, it may determine what information becomes public and what changes are recommended to prevent similar failures in future.