Three more people have been arrested on terrorism charges following the horrific attack which took place on a north Manchester synagogue yesterday (October 2).
Police descended on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue on Middleton Road, Crumpsall, at 9.31am this morning following reports that a vehicle was being driven at members of the public.
The driver is then understood to have alighted the vehicle and attacked members of the public with a knife.
The suspect, later named as 35-year-old British citizen Jihad al-Shamie, did not gain access to the building and was shot at the scene by armed police.
Two members of the Jewish community, Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed.
Three other individuals were injured and remain in hospital in a serious condition.
Extensive cordons have remained in place in north Manchester today, with searches ongoing at al-Shamie’s address in Prestwich and elsewhere.
The Manchester Evening News understands this includes searches at an address in Farnworth in Bolton.
In an update shared just after 8:30pm this evening, the head of counter terrorism policing said that three more people, aged between 18 and their mid 40s, have been arrested in connection with the attack.
The latest arrests bring the total number of those arrested to six, with two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s arrested yesterday on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.
Laurence Taylor said in a statement: “We have now arrested three further people, one man and two women, aged between 18 and mid-40s.
“This brings the number of people in custody arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism to six.
“We will be seeking warrants of further detention for all six individuals and will seek to issue an update on this later.
“I would like to once again stress that our investigation is still in its early stages. I know there is significant public interest in this case, and we will seek to provide timely updates on our progress where possible.
“We would ask people to refrain from speculation or sharing unverified information as that could potentially cause unnecessary delays in our enquiries and additional upset for all those impacted by these horrific events.”
