A police handout shows Adrian Daulby (left), 53, and Melvin Cravitz (right), 66, the two men killed in the October 2 Manchester synagogue attack. Photo / Greater Manchester Police via AFP
They battled to close the synagogue doors as Jihad al-Shamie banged his knife against the glass.
Those nine brave Jewish men – three of them barricading each entrance – were all that stood between terrorist al-Shamie and the terrified congregation inside Heaton Park Synagogue in north Manchester.
They must have believed the danger was over when they heard the sound of police sirens then gunshots, as the attacker was shot dead. That was until they heard the cry of “Adrian’s gone down” and saw a bullet hole in one of the doors.
In the melee and confusion that followed the attack on Thursday morning (local time), Adrian Daulby, 53, one of those guarding the doors, fell to the ground with fatal injuries.
The seven minutes of terror began as worshippers gathered outside the synagogue for Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day.
Alan Levy, the synagogue’s chairman of trustees, said he saw al-Shamie drive his black Kia car through the gates, hitting security guard Bernard Agyemang, then run towards the building and stab security guard Melvin Cravitz, 66, who also died.
Levy recalled how killer al-Shamie was less than a metre away, staring him in the face, when he and others managed to close the door to stop him getting in the building.
He said: “He looked crazed and his eyes were bulging. I was terrified and he was banging his knife on the pane of the glass repeatedly. We pushed everyone as far away from the front door as we could into the far end of the synagogue and told them to get down on the floor.
“He was trying to push the door through. When he couldn’t get in, he picked up the plant pots and was throwing them into the glass to try and break it.”
He said he heard al-Shamie tell passers-by who urged him to end his attack: “That’s what they’re going to get for killing our children”.
Levy said of the moment police arrived at halted the attack: “They shouted at him and told him to throw his weapon down and get on the ground. He went down the steps and he made as though he was going to attack one of the officers and that’s when they shot him.”
But then he saw Yoni Finlay, who had been guarding the door with Daulby, fall to the ground. He said: “I saw Yoni go down. I didn’t see Adrian go down and someone shouted, ‘Adrian’s gone down’. I saw the bullet hole through the door.”
Greater Manchester Police said earlier on Friday that two victims were hit by bullets during the attack. The police said the victims were “close together behind the synagogue door, as worshippers acted bravely to prevent the attacker from gaining entry”.
The actions of victim Daulby and others who guarded the doors against al-Shamie gave Rabbi Walker precious time to usher the rest of the congregation to safety.
Speaking to the BBC, Rabbi Walker spoke of the moment the attacker tried to break in, saying: “I saw evil, I saw hate.”
He later told a large crowd at a vigil for the victims that Finlay was one of the heroes “recovering from terrible wounds”. He said Andrew Franks, who guarded another of the synagogue doors, “blocked the terrorist with his body” and security guard Agyemang “did the same”.
He added: “The very, very brave men, security guard and volunteer stopped him and blocked him literally with their bodies and are still in hospital. If they hadn’t done that then we would not be where we are right now. They were very, very brave. Very quick-acting.”
The family of Daulby said he was a hero who “tragically lost his life in the act of courage to save others”. They added: “The family is shocked by the tragic, sudden death of such a lovely down-to-earth man.”
In a tribute issued through police, Cravitz’s family said he “would do anything to help anyone”.
It said: “He was so kind, caring and always wanted to chat and get to know people. He was devoted to his wife, family and loved his food. He will be sorely missed by his wife, family, friends and community.”
After the attack, it was confirmed that al-Shamie was not previously known to security services.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “In terms of the attacker, this individual was not known to the security services. He has obviously been shot dead at the scene, but the police investigations will now continue at pace.”
Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said: “We have been told from witness accounts that a man was seen acting suspiciously outside the synagogue before he was confronted by security and walked away.
“Based on the information we have at this time, we don’t believe this was reported to Greater Manchester Police because the man had left the area. Around 15 minutes later, the individual returned in a vehicle and began his horrific attack.”
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