But a translation of posts on Facebook shows him supporting the Hamas assault on Israel.
Three days later on October 10, he appeared to question why Hamas was not receiving support from other Arab nations. He wrote: “Where is this so-called resistance with the Haifa rockets … May God’s curse be upon the hypocrites, the traitors pledged to a disgusting and filthy sectarian agenda – the moment of truth is inevitably coming.
Police named Jihad al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, as the attacker.
“You told me [about the] Haifa rockets… Our brothers in Palestine are publicly asking for help from anyone who still has a part of honour or humanity, but with God’s permission they will be victorious oh you who sold your religion, your honour and your humanity to the mullahs of Tehran, and whoever sells his honour, there is no hope from him… As for the Arab governments, leave them to wander blindly in their tyranny. Long live the brave men of Gaza #Palestine_is_Arab.”
A day later, on October 11 2023, he again praised the Hamas invasion and called for the “resounding fall of a great traitor”.
The two victims of the synagogue attack were named on Friday as Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, from Crumpsall. Greater Manchester Police said in a statement on Friday morning that one of the victims appeared to have been shot by armed officers.
Following the synagogue attack, the family said in a Facebook post on their father’s account: “The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has been a profound shock to us.
“The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians.
“We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort.
“We kindly request that all media outlets respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time and refrain from using this tragic event in any context that does not reflect the truth.”
Little is known of Jihad’s teenage years, but his two younger brothers were exceptionally bright and did well at school.
Jawad won a place at the University of Kent to study pharmacy, graduating with a Master’s degree in 2016. He returned to the North West and worked at a community pharmacy in Leyland, Lancashire. After a year, he set himself up as a locum pharmacist and returned to Manchester.
Kenan, the youngest brother, went to the University of East Anglia in Norwich to study mathematics. He graduated in 2016 with a first-class honours degree and went on to the University of St Andrews, where he did an MSc in pure mathematics.
An expert in the development of artificial intelligence, he landed a job as a software engineer, initially working at the firm’s flagship data centre near Winchester. But in 2022, he transferred to the company’s north-west centre and moved back to Manchester.
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Their father, meanwhile, began working for the International Red Cross, travelling to war zones around the world.
He posted regularly on social media from South Sudan, where he was working in field hospitals helping those wounded in the brutal civil war.
There is virtually no trace of any social media activity for Jihad, but in 2012, a person using the email address “Jihad Alshamie” sent death threats to a Conservative MP following comments he made defending Israel.
John Howell, who was the Tory MP for Henley at the time, was offered police protection after he received around 30 emails.
One person, calling himself Jihad Alshamie, wrote a series of emails, including one which said, “It is people like you who deserve to die.”
It is unclear whether Thames Valley Police attempted to track down the sender of the email at the time.
The Telegraph, London
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