Man who helped barricade Manchester synagogue says attacker was 'monster' who 'tried every door'

A man who helped barricade the Manchester synagogue has described how the terror attack unfolded.

Alan Levy said he was in the car park in the grounds of Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall when the incident started and he saw the attacker, who he called a "jihadist monster".

"I was there when he crashed his car into the synagogue gates and ran down the security guard that was there and attacked a volunteer security guard and tried to gain access," Mr Levy said in an interview with Sky News' people and politics correspondent Nick Martin.

It was then Mr Levy ran into the synagogue and sought to lock it down.

He and other congregants helped barricade the doors to stop the attacker from getting inside, as "he was shoulder-charging the doors trying to get in".

"He was throwing plant pots at the glass. He was using a knife to try and get in. These brave men basically saved the community from further harm," Mr Levy said.

"All I was thinking was 'we've got to keep these doors closed'.

"He was trying each door in turn. When we realised which door he was going to, we moved doors so there was more pressure on the doors to keep them closed."

Two people were killed in the attack on Thursday, including one who died from a police bullet fired as officers shot dead the perpetrator, Jihad al Shamie.

The victims were named as Adrian Daulby, 53, a member of the congregation, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, a worshipper at the synagogue.

Mr Cravitz's funeral was held on Sunday.

What we know about the synagogue attack in Manchester

Mr Levy's son, Marc, described the moment he first received news of the attack and said "it's impossible to articulate the worry and concern" as he didn't know whether his family was safe or not.

"I first knew that there was an incident when my phone started lighting up repeatedly and I realised that there was an attack on my synagogue," he said.

"It's a place where all my childhood memories of worshipping... pretty much going there throughout my whole life.

"I knew at that time that my father would have been on security at that time, as he is every morning, given that him and his friends are some of the first people who arrive."

He said it was only when he saw his father on Sky News' live feed that he realised he wasn't one of the victims.

Six people were arrested over the attack but two have been released without charge.

Police revealed the attacker had been on bail over a suspected rape, but wasn't on the radar of counter-terror police.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the shooting - this is standard practice when a member of the public is killed - and will examine "whether police may have caused or contributed to the death" of Mr Daulby.

Al Shamie, 35, was named as the attacker on Thursday and is believed to be of Syrian descent.

He is understood to have been granted British citizenship when he was around 16, having entered the UK as a young child.

Police shot him dead seven minutes after the first emergency call as they feared he was wearing an explosive device - later identified as a fake.

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