Closing summary
This blog is closing shortly. Here’s a summary of today’s developments:
The head of counter-terrorism policing Laurence Taylor has confirmed the suspicious device worn by the synagogue attacker Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was “a fake”.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) will investigate “whether police may have caused or contributed to the death” of Adrian Daulby, 53. Daulby was inside the synagogue, helping to barricade the doors against the attacker when he suffered a fatal gunshot wound. There is no evidence that a non-police issue firearm was discharged at the scene, the watchdog added.
Melvin Cravitz, 66, has been named as the other man who died in the attack. A security guard for the synagogue, he “courageously stopped the attacker from entering the building”, according to the police.
Three other victims of the attack remain in hospital with serious injuries. The congregation’s Rabbi, Daniel Walker, said two of them had “blocked the terrorist” with their bodies.
It has emerged that Al-Shamie was on police bail for an alleged rape when he carried out the attack, and is believed to have other criminal convictions – although he was not on the radar of counter-terrorism officers or MI5.
Three more people have been arrested by police investigating the attack, bringing the total number of people held on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism to six, Greater Manchester police has said.
Writing in The Jewish Chronicle, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, has urged people planning to protest in Manchester and London this weekend to “respect the grief of British Jews”. “This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain.”
The deputy prime minister David Lammy was heckled and booed by some of the crowd as he addressed a vigil close to the scene of the Manchester synagogue attack. People shouted “shame on you” and “you have blood on your hands” as he took to the stage. He told the vigil that “we must stand in grief, in solidarity and in defiance”.
An Israeli government minister has said Israel plans to host a visit by Tommy Robinson in mid-October, describing him as a “British patriot” and “a courageous leader on the frontline against radical Islam”. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is a former member of the Far Right British National Party (BNP) and a former leader of the English Defence League.
Eyewitnesses described the terrorist shouting: “This is what they get for killing our children” as he tried to enter the synagogue.
In a statement on Facebook, Al-Shamie’s family said they were in “profound shock” and wanted to distance themselves from what they called his “heinous act”.
Thanks for following along with me, Donna Ferguson.
Updated
Friends of Melvin Cravitz, the 66 year-old synagogue security guard who died protecting others in the attack on Thursday, have been paying homage to a man who “would do anything to help anyone”.
He previously worked at a greengrocers in Salford, according to Manchester Evening News.
One of Cravitz’s neighbours, who did not wish to be named, told The Independent that Cravitz was “so nice in the community. He’d always be on the road talking to us. My sister lives a few doors down and he’d knock on and tell her her washing was getting wet. He was a very friendly neighbour.”
Hindi Cohen, another neighbour who attended the synagogue with Mr Cravitz, told The Times he was a “beloved” figure in the community.
She said: “He would visit us often. Before every festival we would have him over for a meal. He was very beloved. He was a figure round here.
“If you saw Melvin you stopped and talked.
“He didn’t always have it easy. He had health issues, but he was always with a joke and a smile.”
Relatives of Cravitz told Sky News he was a “gentle giant” who “would never harm a fly.”
In a tribute issued through Greater Manchester police, Cravitz’s family said: “Melvin would do anything to help anyone.”
