Jihad Al-Shamie named as Manchester synagogue attack suspect by police

The attacker who carried out the fatal Manchester synagogue terror attack has been named as Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed Al-Shamie, 35, as the suspectwho killed two people and injured four others in a ramming and knife attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue this morning. Al-Shamie who was armed with a knife and a device that had been believed to be an explosive, was shot dead seven minutes after the attack started.

Two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism connected to the synagogue attack, police added.

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Officers were alerted this morning to reports a car was driven into pedestrians and that people had been stabbed. Tragically, two people were confirmed tohave been killed in the terror attackand four others were rushed to hospital in a serious condition.

Officers could not immediately confirm if Al-Shamie was killed due to "safety issues" over "suspicious items on his person." Following an investigation of the scene, it was determined the device was not an explosive.

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