Public inquiry ordered into deaths at Manchester synagogue attack

Why This Matters

• The inquiry will test whether the attack could have been prevented: police held Al-Shamie's phone containing extremist material but did not analyse it before the attack took place
• It will set the official record on the death of Adrian Daulby, who was fatally shot by armed police as he blocked the attacker's entry, raising questions about the use of lethal force during a terror incident
• The findings could reshape UK counter-terrorism practice, particularly the timely examination of seized devices and the handling of sensitive national security evidence

Background

The attack took place on 2 October 2025, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews, at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester. The attacker, Jihad Al-Shamie, was shot dead by police at the scene. The inquiry was requested by the coroner and is intended to allow evidence, including sensitive national security material, to be heard that could not be fully heard in the coroner's court.

Key Perspectives

The Home Secretary and the Government: Mahmood framed the inquiry as necessary for full understanding of what happened, and as a means of ensuring all evidence, including national security material, can be heard as the coroner requested. The victims' families and the Jewish community: With two worshippers killed and three others seriously injured, the inquiry responds to calls for answers about how the attack unfolded and how police responded on the day. Critics and watchdogs: The delay in analysing Al-Shamie's phone, seized before the attack but not examined until after it, is likely to become a central focus, along with the circumstances of the police shooting that killed Daulby. Police and the security services: They will have to account for the handling of the seized phone and the use of lethal force, with their conduct tested under the inquiry's evidence-gathering powers.

What to Watch

• The inquiry's terms of reference, which will define how deeply it examines police intelligence handling and the response on the day
• Whether evidence identifies specific failures in the analysis of Al-Shamie's phone before the attack
• Any resulting changes to counter-terrorism procedures or to how coroners' courts handle national security material