Father of Jihad Al-Shamie speaks on UK’s ‘true spirit’ | UK | News
Manchester synagogue terrorist’s father Jihad Al-Shamie has finally spoken out about his son’s deadly attack.
Faraj Al-Shamie, 74, emerged from his hiding place in France yesterday to speak to Daily Mail reporters, just hours after he first commented in detail about the attack on Facebook. The horrific incident at Manchester’s Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue on Yom Kippur last week resulted in the deaths of two innocent people and Jihad.
Faraj wrote in his post: “The recent tragic terrorist act caused deep pain to our family and the families of the victims. Our hearts and prayers are with them. No one should experience such pain again.” The news emerged after the Manchester synagogue terrorist was reported to the police at the insistence of neighbors four years ago.
Faraj, who works as a surgeon in a hospital, praised Manchester for representing the “true spirit of multicultural peace and solidarity”. He continued: “Manchester has been and continues to be a shining example of unity and coexistence, where Muslims, Christians, Jews and people of all faiths live side by side in respect and harmony.
According to the Mirror, he said: “Having lived here for many years, I can proudly say that this city embodies the true spirit of multicultural peace and solidarity. No one should experience such suffering again. We must all stand together, united, vigilant and compassionate to prevent such acts and preserve the peace of our communities.”
Three more people were seriously injured in the terrorist attack, which took place a few days before the second anniversary of the start of the Hamas-Israeli war.
It was later revealed that Faraj had previously published statements online supporting Hamas and the October 7 terrorist attacks, but did not acknowledge them in yesterday’s Facebook statement.
Faraj reportedly praised Hamas after October 7 and extolled the imminent end of Israel, then called on the group to release the elderly and children it had taken hostage.
In a Facebook post from the day of the attack, revealed by The Times of London, Faraj al-Shamie hailed the Hamas fighters who invaded Israel by land and air as “God’s men on earth” and added that they had “proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Israel will not remain.”
A Times post three days later said, “Release the old people and children. What you have done so far is a miracle in every respect. Do not harm them in a moment of anger. They have no place in war.”
“May Allah grant you victory in this war, which history will record as the beginning of the liberation of Al-Aqsa Mosque, God willing, may He grant you victory, support you and guide you to the right path.”
Faraj al-Shamie also wrote on his Facebook page, citing Iran’s attacks on Israel: “We expect more” and “your goods are being returned to you.”
There is great public curiosity about Jihad Al-Shamie’s motives for the attack, but when confronted by reporters yesterday his father refused to discuss his son’s violent anti-Semitic beliefs.
Speaking in the garden of his modest bungalow in a village in the Picardie region, the surgeon refused to answer all questions, including about his role in raising his 35-year-old son and his decision to name his first child “Jihad”, an Arabic term meaning holy war.
He told the Daily Mail reporter: “I have nothing to say.”
But British counter-terrorism officers and intelligence agencies believe Jihad al-Shami’s attack on the Manchester synagogue was motivated by anger over Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, in which tens of thousands of Palestinians died.
Faraj settled in the Crumpsall area of Manchester after moving his family, including his eldest son Jihad, from Syria to England in the 1990s.
He is believed to have continued to live in the city but quickly fled to France following the shooting.
