(ZeroHedge)—One of the two victims who died in the synagogue attack in Manchester, UK was shot dead by police, with the other victim killed by suspect. In fact, the police were the only ones with guns at the incident.
Here’s what happened: The suspect, Jihad al-Shamie, rammed a vehicle into a crowd of people gathered outside the synagogue, striking several individuals. He then exited the car and stabbed at least one person before attempting to enter the building. Worshippers and security staff managed to block his entry – when armed cops showed up within 7 minutes and shot al-Shamie.
Al-Shamie killed one of the victims and sent two to the hospital with injuries, while the cops accidentally killed another victim and shot a 3rd person who was also sent to the hospital.
“Overnight, we have taken advice from the Home Office pathologist ahead of full postmortem examinations scheduled for later today. The Home Office pathologist has advised that he has provisionally determined that one of the deceased victims would appear to have suffered a wound consistent with a gunshot injury,” said Greater Manchester police chief constable, Sir Stephen Watson.
“It is currently believed that the suspect, Jihad al-Shamie, was not in possession of a firearm and the only shots fired were from GMP’s authorised firearms officers as they worked to prevent the offender from entering the synagogue and causing further harm to our Jewish community.
“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.
The two victims killed in the attack at Heaton Park Synagogue were identified on Friday as 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz. al-Shamie was wearing a fake explosive vest during the attack.
Jihad, 35, moved to the UK from Syria as a child and became a naturalized British citizen while he was a minor in 2006. Home secretary Shabana Mahmood (!) said on Friday that Jihad was not known to counterterrorism police, however in 2012, MP John Howell received threatening emails from ‘Jihad Alshamie’ according to a report by the Jerusalem Post. It’s unclear if it’s the same Jihad.
Footage of the scene showed Al-Shamie writhing on the ground when police shot him – with a nearby officer shouting “He has a bomb” and “move back.”
In a statement posted on Facebook, Al-Shamie’s father, Faraj, said that the attack by his son, who he named Jihad, was a “profound shock,” adding “The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians.”
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