Police watchdog probes GMP's handling of rape investigation into synagogue attacker Jihad al-Shamie

THE Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is assessing how Greater Manchester Police handled an investigation into an alleged rape committed by dead Manchester synagogue attacker Jihad al-Shamie.

An IOPC spokesman said: "Yesterday, we received a further referral from GMP in relation to prior contact with Mr Al-Shamie (above)m since December 2024, when an allegation of rape was made against him.

"We are currently assessing the available information to determine whether an investigation into this matter is required."

It comes after the IOPC said it had informed the three GMP armed officers who fired their weapons while responding to last week’s terror attack in Crumpsall that they are being treated as witnesses to the investigation.

Several other officers involved in the incident – in which Jihad Al-Shamie, the man named by police as the suspect in the attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, died after being shot by armed officers – are also witnesses to our independent investigation. An IOPC spokesperson said: "As always, this will remain under review as further information becomes available.

"The investigation began within hours of the attack on Thursday and we were later notified that two other men were injured during the incident, who were both inside the synagogue at the time. These men appeared to have been injured when police fired their weapons. One of the men, Adrian Daulby, sadly died during the incident and the other man is recovering in hospital."

IOPC Director Emily Barry said: “This was a tragic incident in which innocent people lost their lives, and others were seriously injured. Families, and the wider community, are grieving the loss of loved ones following this act of senseless violence.

“As is standard in cases like this, we have gathered a significant amount of evidence as we piece together the events surrounding officers’ use of lethal force during the attack. At the same time, Counter Terrorism Policing North West continues to work tirelessly to investigate the attack – and we are working alongside them to ensure both investigations can progress as smoothly, and efficiently as possible.

“We have also been in contact with Mr Daulby’s family, along with the other man injured in the incident and his family, to explain our role and will continue to provide support as needed.”GMP said it can now confirm Mr Daulby suffered a single but fatal gunshot wound. The other man also suffered a single gunshot wound and received medical treatment for his injuries. Examination indicates these injuries were caused by a police-issue firearm, however, work remains ongoing by a ballistics expert to understand this in more detail.Work carried out so far includes analysing footage of the incident, focusing on the six-minute period from 9.37 to 9.43am, along with reviewing initial police statements. No other firearms were recovered from the scene and work is ongoing to establish the precise sequence of events.Over the coming days, the force will continue to review the substantial amount of evidence gathered up to now, and will begin the process of obtaining more detailed statements from police witnesses.The IOPC spokesperson added: "Our investigation, which is mandatory in situations where police use of force may have resulted in the death of a member of the public, is looking at the actions and decision-making of the officers involved in the incident."This includes whether police may have caused or contributed to the death of Mr Daulby, and any role the police may have played in the injuries suffered the other man who suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound during the incident."Sir Stephen Watson, Chief Constable, Greater Manchester Police said: “Following the horrendous terrorist attack on Thursday 2 October 2025, Greater Manchester Police has been inundated with messages of thanks and support for the actions that our brave officers took to prevent further harm to our Jewish community who were inside and around the Heaton Park Synagogue.

“I welcome this continued support and acknowledge the fact that the IOPC have today confirmed their finding that no misconduct is apparent in the actions required of our officers in bringing this dreadful attack to an end.  These findings relate to the death of the terrorist and to the tragic death of Mr Adrian Daulby; and the injury sustained by another courageous member of the congregation. “Our thoughts will always be with the families and loved ones of those directly affected by this tragedy together with the wider community across Greater Manchester and beyond. Our significant presence and determination to protect everyone from all faith communities across our city region will continue unabated.“GMP is committed to openness, transparency and candour in respect of all our previous dealings with the terrorist. We have therefore asked the IOPC to include this aspect in their ongoing review. This includes previous reports of harassment, and an arrest for reports of rape over the past year, for which he was on bail at the time of the attack.” Counter Terrorism officers have arrested and interviewed six people at length.Two of those individuals were released without charge on Sunday evening and the four remaining people will be released without charge today. This does not mean our investigation has concluded.

GMP Assistant Chief Constable Robb Potts, said: "We have conducted extensive CCTV and house to house enquiries and we have spoken with potential witnesses and members of the community."We have been told from witness accounts that a man, now confirmed to be Jihad Al Shamie, was seen acting suspiciously outside the synagogue before he was confronted by security. This was not reported to police because the man walked away when challenged."Around 15 minutes later, he returned to the scene in a black Kia vehicle and deliberately drove the car at innocent members of the public before colliding with a wall. He then stepped out of the vehicle armed with a knife and resumed his attack."He had a second knife in his possession and was also wearing a hoax device on his person. This device has since been assessed and confirmed to be a non-viable device."Minutes after the first call was made to GMP and as firearms officers were making their way to the scene, Al Shamie called 999 claiming responsibility for the attack. He also pledged allegiance to Islamic State."The attack continued but thanks to the bravery of security staff, worshippers and the fast action of police, the attacker was prevented from gaining access to the synagogue."Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz sadly died. Three other men remain in hospital with serious injuries."Specially trained officers are in frequent contact with the families to provide support and update them on our progress."We have conducted assessments across our systems, and I can reiterate that Al-Shamie had never been referred to the PREVENT programme, nor was otherwise known to Counter Terrorism Policing."However, at this stage of our investigation, we are more confident that he was influenced by extreme Islamist ideology, the 999 call forms part of this assessment."It's important to stress that we look across all the evidence gathered to make our assessment of the motivation behind this attack, this assessment continues and there may be further drivers and motivations identified."We are also starting to understand more about him as an individual, and I’m grateful to all those who have contacted police with information."This remains a live counter terrorism investigation."Although we have made significant progress since the attack took place, we are still in the relatively early stages and there is much work to be done. We are also supporting the coroner with their respective investigation."I know there is significant public interest in this case, and we will continue to release updates where possible."I want to record my sincere thanks to members of the local community for their patience and support as we have conducted our enquiries."Without it we would not have been able to progress this investigation at the pace we have."Finally, I know that when we are faced with such horrific events, it sparks a lot of public discussion and commentary. However, I want to appeal to anybody with material that could potentially be useful to please share that with us directly."

A 30-year-old man arrested on 2 October on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism following the terror attack has today (9 October 2025) been re-arrested on suspicion of Failing to Disclose Information contrary to S38B of the Terrorism Act 2000.

The man was arrested at 12.34pm under PACE at Manchester Airport earlier today and has since been released on bail with conditions.

We do not believe there is any ongoing threat to the public following the incident last week.

This remains a live investigation led by Counter Terrorism Policing North West.