Survivor speaks out ahead of memorial
A man shot during an attack on a Manchester synagogue has said his son has since faced death threats and that "things don't feel safer" almost a year on.
Yoni Finlay was hit by a police bullet at the Heaton Park Hebrew Synagogue in Crumpsall on October 2 last year, as reported by both the Daily Mirror and the Evening Standard. He is reported to have been helping to barricade the doors as Jihad Al-Shamie targeted the place of worship.
Before a memorial service for the victims and survivors on Monday evening, Mr Finlay said the past year had not been easy but that he had been supported by friends and family, according to the Evening Standard.
Asked how the Jewish community is feeling almost a year on, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I don't think things feel safer, I think we certainly live behind ever increasing gates, more security than we've ever had."
Mr Finlay said that while "more" is being done to protect the Jewish community, "any event that we attend within the community, the address is never displayed on the poster". He added: "Jewish people are having to hide their identity, even my own son, who's in college at the moment, has faced death threats."
Community's sense of vulnerability
Rabbi Daniel Walker, from the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, told the BBC that "we're actually almost in a harder position than we were even immediately after the attack". He added: "I think the sense of vulnerability has grown. It hasn't diminished."
These comments came as the community gathered to remember the two men who died in the attack.
The attack and its victims
Melvin Cravitz, 66, died from multiple knife wounds inflicted by Al-Shamie, while Adrian Daulby, 53, was struck by a single gunshot wound to the chest fired by an armed police officer scrambled to the scene at the Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall.
Mr Daulby and fellow worshippers held the main door of the synagogue shut as Al-Shamie, 35, tried to force his way inside on the morning of October 2 as those gathered marked the holy day of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews, the Evening Standard reported. According to the Daily Mirror, Al-Shamie drove into the gates of the synagogue, then attacked with a knife and was wearing a fake suicide belt before police shot him dead.
Police apology and prior knowledge
In July, Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson apologised after it emerged that police officers had seized mobile devices containing evidence of Al-Shamie's extremist mindset prior to the attack, but the material was not examined until after the incident, the Daily Mirror reported. Sir Stephen confirmed the force had been aware of Al-Shamie before the attack in connection with two linked criminal allegations, neither related to terrorism. Al-Shamie had been arrested on February 13, 2025 on suspicion of breaching a non-molestation order and on September 21, 2025 on suspicion of rape. At the time of the attack, Al-Shamie was on police bail.
The internal review found that Greater Manchester Police had seized Al-Shamie's mobile devices at the point of each arrest, and that the devices contained significant evidence of Al-Shamie's extremist views. Sir Stephen apologised for adding to distress, saying: "For this, I am deeply sorry."
Mohammad Bashir, 31, was jailed for life at Manchester Crown Court on July 23, according to the Daily Mirror, though the report does not specify the charges or his connection to the case.