UK synagogue terror victims named as Adrian Daulby, Melvin Cravitz; 1 likely shot by cops

One of the dead was apparently accidentally shot while barricading synagogue door; minister pledges to ‘redouble’ efforts against antisemitism, calls anti-Israel protests held after attack ‘un-British’

By ToI Staff, Agencies and Lazar Berman

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3 October 2025, 11:40 amUpdated at 4:23 pm

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Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were named Friday morning as the two men killed in a terror attack outside Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester.

Greater Manchester Police said in a statement that their families were being supported by their liaison officers.

Two people were killed and four were seriously injured when a terrorist carried out a stabbing and car-ramming terror attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. The attacker, named as Jihad al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, was shot dead by police at the scene.

“Oh my god. Melvin is a lovely, lovely bloke. I can’t fault him,” Cravitz’s neighbor told The Telegraph. “He’s one of my best friends and his wife Karen. They are lovely people. This is all so horrible. We’re in utter shock.”

“My deepest sympathies are with Mr Daulby and Mr Cravitz’s loved ones at this extremely hard time,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Lewis Hughes in a statement.

One of the victims was likely accidentally shot by police, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said in an update on Friday.

Orthodox Jewish men walk near the scene of a deadly terror attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, in Crumpsall, Manchester, England, October 2, 2025. (AP/Ian Hodgson)

“The only shots fired were from GMP’s Authorized Firearms Officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community,” said Watson.

“It follows therefore, that subject to further forensic examination, this injury may sadly have been sustained as a tragic and unforeseen consequence of the urgently required action taken by my officers to bring this vicious attack to an end,” he said.

One of those wounded in the attack also suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, Watson said.

“It is believed that both victims were close together behind the synagogue door, as worshipers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry.”

A bomb disposal technician collects evidence near the body of a man, believed to be the terrorist, at the scene of a deadly attack outside a synagogue, in north Manchester, Britain, October 2, 2025. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with all of the families, and the wider community, impacted by this incident across Greater Manchester and beyond,” Watson continued. “Specialist officers are providing support and care for all of those directly affected, including our brave first responders.”

Britain’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government would step up its efforts to tackle antisemitism in the country after the attack.

“We will redouble our efforts,” Mahmood told Times Radio on Friday.

“We will do whatever is required to keep our Jewish community safe,” Mahmood said. “People will see a heavier police presence at all communal facilities — primarily synagogues, but other places within the community as well.”

“We will, of course, now review all of the work that we do to tackle antisemitism.

In the hours after the attack on Thursday, several anti-Israel protests took place in British cities, with police clashing with demonstrators outside Downing Street, leading to 40 arrests.

Mahmood said that she had been disappointed to see the protests take place.

“I think that behavior is fundamentally un-British… I think it’s dishonorable,” she said.

Britain’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood speaks to members of the media near to Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester, on October 2, 2025, following an attack at the synagogue. (Oli Scarff / AFP)

Antisemitic incidents in the UK have hit record levels following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel and Israel’s ensuing military campaign in Gaza, according to Community Security Trust, an advocacy group for British Jews that works to eliminate antisemitism.

More than 1,500 incidents were reported in the first half of the year, the second-highest six-month total reported since the record set over the same period a year earlier.

“This is every rabbi’s or every Jewish person’s worst nightmare,” said Rabbi Jonathan Romain, of Maidenhead Synagogue and head of the Rabbinic Court of Great Britain. “Not only is this a sacred day, the most sacred in the Jewish calendar, but it’s also a time of mass gathering.”

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack on Thursday and vowed to “defeat” antisemitism in his country.

Israeli leaders also condemned the attack, while taking implicit and explicit swipes at the UK government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement referenced his recent speech at the United Nations, where he castigated a string of countries, including the UK, that have recognized a Palestinian state.