King Charles visits site of deadly Yom Kippur synagogue terror attack in Manchester

LONDON — The UK’s King Charles III visited the synagogue in Manchester on Monday where two Jewish worshipers were killed earlier this month during a terrorist attack by a man who told police he was acting for Islamic State.

Charles, 76, traveled to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Crumpsall district of Manchester to show support to those who had been affected by the attack, and to the broader Jewish community.

Charles was seen being shown floral tributes left at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation by Rabbi Daniel Walker. He then met community leaders.

Many community members welcomed the monarch.

“I’ve come here to see other people who care about what’s happened and to know that it still matters to people in the UK,” Yakov Schleider, 15, told the BBC.

“For the king to be here, it shows me that the UK is upset about this attack,” he added.

Two men, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed in the incident which took place during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

After the attack, Charles said he was “deeply shocked and saddened,” and during his visit to the synagogue he met some of those who had been inside when it took place.

Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, drove a car into pedestrians outside the synagogue earlier this month and attacked people with a knife before being shot dead by armed police.

The incident took place amid concern about rising levels of antisemitism in Britain. Jews suffered the highest rate of religious hate crimes in England and Wales in the year to March, interior ministry data showed on Thursday.

Last week, three British right-wing extremists were jailed after they were convicted of planning to attack synagogues or mosques.

Monday’s visit was also the king’s first official engagement since his younger brother Prince Andrew announced on Friday that he was giving up his titles and honors including being known as the Duke of York.

Andrew said he did not want the accusations against him, including sex abuse allegations relating to his links to the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein which he still “vigorously denies,” to distract from the work of the king and the other members of the family.

However, days later Andrew was still dominating the headlines, diverting attention from Charles’ poignant trip to Manchester.