Public inquiry announced into Manchester synagogue attack deaths

A public inquiry will investigate the deaths of Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby, the two men killed in the October 2, 2025 attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the inquiry, saying the events of that day must be fully understood and that the coroner had requested it. She said it would ensure all evidence can be heard, including sensitive national security material that could not otherwise be fully aired in a coroner's court.

Cravitz, 66, died from multiple stab wounds. Daulby, 53, was killed by a bullet fired by armed police as he blocked the synagogue doors while attacker Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, tried to enter. Al-Shamie, a Syrian-born UK citizen, was shot dead by police during the attack. The attack took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews.

Mahmood said the first anniversary of the terror attack had been marked in recent days. She said that on that day in October last year, as the Jewish community celebrated Yom Kippur, Cravitz and Daulby lost their lives and three other people were seriously injured. She described the two men as brave and said the inquiry would examine what happened.

Police had already seized Al-Shamie's mobile phone containing details of his extremist mindset, but did not analyse the contents until after the attack. Earlier this year, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said he was deeply sorry over missed opportunities to potentially uncover the plot. He said Al-Shamie was on police bail at the time of the attack.

Watson said Al-Shamie had come to GMP's notice over two linked criminal allegations that were not terrorist offences. He was arrested on February 13, 2025, on suspicion of breaching a non-molestation order, and on September 21, 2025, on suspicion of rape. Watson said an internal review found GMP had seized Al-Shamie's devices at each arrest, but the significance of their contents was not realised before the attack, calling it a missed opportunity.

The apology came after details emerged following the jailing of Al-Shamie's friend and accomplice, Mohammad Bashir, 31, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in July at Manchester Crown Court for planning a separate attack with Al-Shamie on the UK Defence Academy at Shrivenham. At an earlier hearing the same month, Home Office lawyers applied to withhold some information from MI5 being made public at a future inquest due to national security concerns. Watson said he hoped continuing independent reviews would draw together all available evidence and leave no question unanswered.