The father of the Manchester synagogue terrorist has broken cover at his French bolthole for the first time since the atrocity – and addressed his son’s murderous rampage.
Hospital surgeon Faraj Al-Shamie has been keeping a low profile at a property in rural northern France since the attack last Thursday – but finally appeared in public today.
And his appearance coincided with a post on Facebook in which he commented in detail for the first time on the attack that left his son Jihad and two innocent people dead.
The day after the attack Faraj Al-Shamie, 74, had condemned his son’s actions which also saw three seriously injured among those gathered at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur.
But later it emerged that the surgeon had previously made online comments in praise of Hamas and the 7 October terror attacks two years ago.
Although today’s post went further as he addressed community relations in Manchester and son and Jihad Al-Shamie’s attack, he did not touch on the issue of this support for Hamas.
The medic said today: ‘The recent tragic act of terror has brought deep pain — to our family and to the families of the victims.
‘Our hearts and prayers are with them.
‘No one should ever experience such suffering again.’
Faraj Al-Shamie, (pictured) the father of Manchester synagogue terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie, has been spotted for the first time since his son’s murderous rampage at his home in France
Last Thursday his son Jihad al-Shamie, 35, drove to the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur – and stabbed a worshipper before being shot dead
Al-Shamie, 35, pictured holding his baby, called 999 after the attack on the Heaton Park Synagogue and said he said done it in the name of ISIS
He went on to describe Manchester as embodying the ‘true spirit of multicultural peace and solidarity’.
He wrote: ‘Manchester has always been — and remains — a shining example of unity and coexistence, where Muslims, Christians, Jews, and people of all faiths live side by side in respect and harmony. Having lived here for years, I can say with pride that this city embodies the true spirit of multicultural peace and solidarity.
He added: ‘No one should ever experience such suffering again.
‘We must all stand together — united, vigilant, and compassionate — to prevent such acts and protect the peace of our communities.’
British counter terrorist police and security services believe Jihad Al-Shamie’s attack on the Manchester synagogue was motivated by his anger at Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza, in which tens of thousands of Palestinians have also died.
But despite the huge public interest in Jihad Al-Shamie’s motivation behind the attack, his father Faraj, has refused to discuss his son’s violent anti-Jewish ideology.
When approached in the garden of his modest bungalow in a village in the Picardie region, he refused to answer questions about his role in his son’s upbringing, including why he named his first-born ‘Jihad’ – Arabic for holy war.
And he would not explain why he had two years ago praised the October 7th Hamas terrorists as ‘Allah’s men on earth’.
He replied simply: ‘I don’t have anything to say.’
Meanwhile his neighbours are baffled that their tranquilly community has become embroiled in an act of terrorism hundreds of miles away in the north of England.
One, who asked not to be named, said: ‘To be honest I didn’t know he had anything to do with something like that, it’s a complete shock.
‘We don’t know him very well. He lived in the house next door when we moved in two years ago.
‘We always say hello. But that’s about it. I didn’t even know he was a doctor.’
His wife added: ‘Please don’t write our names, that could be dangerous.’
Another neighbour said: ‘I’m surprised. But I never watch the news, so I had no idea that something had happened in Manchester. But it’s strange to think that there is a link to my village.’
Faraj Al-Shamie announced his support for the October 7th, 2023, invasion of Israel by Palestinian terrorists in which 1,200 people were killed and some 250 were taken hostage on his Facebook page.
Mr Al-Shamie, a hospital surgeon who brought his family including his eldest son Jihad, from Syria to Britain in the 1990’s and settled in the Crumpsall area of Manchester, praised the violence.
The terrorist’s father Faraj Al-Shamie, a trauma surgeon who left the family home in manchester 15 years ago and now lives in France condemned his son’s actions in a statement
It later emerged he had previously made comments praising Hamas and the October 7 attacks
Faraj Al-Shamie has been keeping a low profile at his property in France since the atrocity
On the day of the October 7th attack he posted that the Hamas terrorists who burst into Israel on motorbikes and paragliders had ‘proved beyond a shadow of a doubt’ that the Jewish state would be destroyed.
The post read: ‘The scenes broadcast by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades showing a group of fighters storming an occupation army camp with simple means, balloons and motorbikes, prove beyond doubt that Israel is not here to stay.
‘Men like these prove that they are Allah’s men on earth, regardless of who leads them, they are the true compass for men confident in their victory, even if their resources are few.’
Three days later, on October 10th 2023, Faraj Al-Shamie criticised Arab nations for not supporting Hamas.
He wrote: ‘Where is this so-called resistance with Haifa rockets.
‘May God’s curse be upon the hypocrites, the traitors pledged to a disgusting and filthy sectarian agenda – the moment of truth is inevitably coming.
‘You told me about the Haifa rockets. Our brothers in Palestine are publicly asking for help from anyone who is till has a part of honour or humanity, but with God’s permission they will be victorious oh you who sold your religion, your honour and your humanity to the mullahs of Tehran, and whoever sells his honour, there is no hope for him.
‘As for the Arab governments, leave them to wander blindly in their tyranny.
‘Long live the brave men of Gaza #Palestine_is_Arab.’
And on October 11th 2023 Mr Faraj Al-Shamie further praised the Hamas invasion in a Facebook post.
Last night it emerged that Jihad Al-Shamie had attended an Islamic teachings conference at the Masjid Sunnah mosque in Nelson, Greater Manchester, in 2022.
In a statement the mosque condemned Al-Shamie and his actions adding terrorism was in direct contradictions to the teachings of Islam.
It stated: ‘It has come to our attention that the individual responsible for this heinous act had attended Masjid Sunnah in Nelson for our Annual National Knowledge Conference in 2022.
Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent, was shot dead by armed officers minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue on October 2
Melvin Cravitz, 66, (left) and Adrian Daulby, 53 (right) both died during Thursday’s terror attack
‘The conference he attended focused on core Islamic teachings, including Tawḥīd (Monotheism), Ṣalāh (Prayer), and Islamic Fiqh (Jurisprudence).
‘Masjid Sunnah has always condemned all forms of extremism and terrorism. Our mosque is known within the local community for its dedication to social, educational, and charitable initiatives.
‘We unequivocally condemn this act of violence. Such an attack, like all forms of terrorism, has no place in our society and is in direct contradiction to the teachings of Islām.’
