Witness says Manchester terrorist shouted, ‘This is what they get for killing our children’

Alan Levy, head of the Heaton Park Congregation’s board of trustees, tells the UK’s ITV News that he heard Jihad al-Shamie, the terrorist who attacked the synagogue on Yom Kippur, shouting “this is what they get for killing our children” as he tried to break down the door.

It appears to be the first statement linking the deadly terror attack to the war in Gaza.

Two people — Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66 — were killed and three seriously wounded in the attack.

Levy says he was one of the people who helped barricade the door, along with the congregation’s Rabbi Daniel Walker; Daulby, who was accidentally shot dead by police; and another congregant who was also accidentally shot and was seriously injured.

Shamie was holding “a big knife, banging his knife into the glass, trying to get through” the door, says Levy.

“Our children aren’t safe in schools; we have to have guards. Our people are not safe at the synagogue going to pray on the holiest day of our year,” says Levy.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the local community, Jewish and non-Jewish, who’ve offered help and support to us in this time,” he adds.

Following the attack, he says, “We carried on our service at the police station, when we went to give our statements.”

“We will be carrying on our services at another venue, and we’re going to carry on,” says Levy. “We’re going to be strong, and we’re not going to let this defeat us in any way.”