Rabbi of Manchester synagogue recalls holding entry doors closed as terrorist tried to force his way in

Rabbi Daniel Walker, the rabbi of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, tells ITV News how he and members of his congregation prevented Jihad Al-Shamie, the terrorist who killed two and injured three in an attack outside the synagogue yesterday, from forcing his way into the building.

He recalls that “half an hour into the prayers, I heard an almighty bang from outside, shouting. Someone was trying to get in with a knife.”

“When he tried to get inside the synagogue, there was a large number of us trying to hold him off,” Walker says.

He says Al-Shamie was “shouting threats” as he tried to burst into the synagogue, where the community was gathered for Yom Kippur services to mark the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.

Al-Shamie was not successful in his attempt to force his way into the building, which Walker attributes to “the very, very brave men, security guard and volunteer [who] stopped him and blocked him literally with their bodies and are still in hospital.

Adrian Daulby, who along with Melvin Cravitz was killed in the attack, “defended the synagogue with his life,” says Walker.

Asked by ITV about whether the war in Gaza has impacted day-to-day life in his community, Walker confirms that they have “been feeling much less secure.”

Still, he says, “I didn’t think it would actually become something physical.”