Security guard reveals new details of Manchester synagogue attack

A security guard who helped barricade the doors during the Manchester synagogue attack has told Sky News he thought “we are all going to die” – as he watched two of his friends get struck by what’s believed to be a police bullet. 

Ivor Rosenberg was a working volunteer security guard on the morning Jihad al Shamie, 35, launched his attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall.

He described first confronting al Shamie outside the synagogue some minutes earlier, thinking “he’s up to no good” – after he told different people conflicting stories about how he was looking for his car and a pub.

“He looked at me and said ‘what are you looking at?’,” Mr Rosenberg told Sky News.

“I just said, ‘I don’t know’… he said ‘you’re very brave inside the fence’… and he walked away.”

Mr Rosenberg said he started walking back up the stairs towards the synagogue when he heard “an almighty bang”.

“I turned around and I saw the car smashed into the wall of the gate,” he said.

He described Alan Levy, the synagogue chairman, managing to lock the main door as he ran straight to the office and dialled 999.

“I was screaming at them – ‘we’re under attack, we’re under attack!’,” he said.

“I could hear him banging on the doors, trying to get in – threatening to kill everyone.”

Mr Rosenberg said he looked out of the window and saw al Shamie banging on the synagogue door with a “large knife”.

“I was terrified,” he said.

After running to get chairs to put up against the synagogue door, he described holding the doors shut with a group of nine or 10 others from the synagogue.

It was then that he saw a bullet come through the door – hitting two of his friends.

After the police initially opened fire on al Shamie, Mr Rosenberg said he saw him trying to get up.

“I screamed – he’s getting up again,” he said.

“I stood back and we could hear a shot.

“Yoni – who was standing just a couple of feet away from me – dropped down to the ground.”

Yoni Finlay is currently recovering in hospital. He is one of two men that Greater Manchester Police believe they accidentally struck with gunfire while trying to shoot al Shamie.

The other is Adrian Daulby, 53, who died from his injuries.

Melvin Cravitz, 66, who was among those who helped to prevent al Shamie from entering the synagogue, also died.

Mr Rosenberg described seeing a “bullet hole” in the door – and believes the same bullet hit both Mr Finlay and Mr Daulby, who was also behind the door with him at the time.

He said at first he believed Mr Finlay, a friend of his for many years, was intentionally ducking to avoid the gunfire. He then quickly realised he had been injured.

“He said ‘I’ve been hit’. I think the bullet came through him and hit Mr Daulby. I thought ‘we’re all going to die’ for a minute. It was terrifying,” Mr Rosenberg said.

“I took my jacket off and cradled Yoni’s head. It was very, very scary.”

Mr Rosenberg said both of the men were “heroes” – and has had updates that Mr Finlay is continuing to recover in hospital.

Two other men also remain in hospital with serious injuries – a security guard with car-impact injuries and a community worker with stab wounds.

Mr Rosenberg said that he is still struggling to come to terms with what happened that day.

“I’m okay until someone asks me how I’m doing – then it’s hard,” he said.

Mr Rosenberg was joined at the funeral by Laurence Abramson, the oldest living member of Heaton Park Synagogue.

Mr Abramson was heading into the synagogue for prayers as Al Shamie launched his attack, and watched it unfold from outside. He recalls the police opening fire on Al Shamie, as they tried to stop him from getting inside.

“I was just approaching the synagogue, crossing the road – and I heard ‘bang, bang bang”. Mr Abramson said. “The gunshot sounds have been with me all the time. I sleep and I can hear them.”

Now 86-years-old, he told us he has been a member of the Heaton Park Synagogue for 80 years. “My father was a founding member of that shul” he said. “I had my Bar Mitzvah there, I got married there. It means too much to me.”

Remembering Daulby, Mr Rosenberg said “he was the nicest, quietest man you could ever meet”. He said the members of the synagogue are struggling to come to terms with the loss. “Life goes on – but we’ll get through it. It will be hard, but we’ll do it” he said.

Al Shamie was shot dead by police.

Four people arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts remain in custody after police were granted a further five days to question them on Saturday.