Stacey Solomon has revealed being Jewish feels ‘scary’ and ‘heartbreaking’ in the wake of the Manchester attacks on a synagogue in which two people were killed.
The TV personality, 35, issued an emotional statement on social media after Islamist terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie targeted Heaton Park Synagogue yesterday morning.
His innocent victims have been named as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66. They were both members of Manchester’s Jewish community.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Stacey revealed how being Jewish was causing her to fear for herself and her loved ones.
‘It is heartbreaking to hear of the attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur. My thoughts & prayers are with everyone effected,’ she wrote.
‘I’m also thinking of anyone right now who feels scared for themselves & their loved ones just because of who they are. Being Jewish feels scary & that is heartbreaking.’
‘It goes without saying, although I’ve said this before, My thoughts are also with the innocent people in Gaza. Being proudly Jewish & being against the horrific attack today does not cancel the other.’
The star added: ‘I realise no matter what I say. Someone somewhere won’t like it. But all I really have to say is that none of this is ok.’
Stacey Solomon has revealed being Jewish feels ‘scary’ and ‘heartbreaking’ in the wake of the Manchester attacks on a synagogue
In a statement posted on Instagram last night, Stacey revealed how being Jewish can make you fear for yourself and your loved ones
Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was shot dead minutes after he targeted Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester yesterday. It is believed he was a father and is pictured holding a child
Al-Shamie, who was shot dead minutes after the attack, carried out his murderous rampage on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
He first rammed his black Kia Picanto hatchback into crowds of Jewish worshippers at 9.31am, before he got out and started ‘stabbing everyone he could get to’.
Videos on YouTube show Al-Shamie and his two brothers playing in the back yard of a home on Crescent Road, which is around a 20-minute walk from the synagogue he later targeted.
The clips were shared by the killer’s father Faraj Al-Shamie, who is believed to be a trauma doctor who has worked for several NGOs in warzones across the world.
It is understood the family has lived in Greater Manchester for at least 30 years – and currently live in Prestwich, around two miles from the scene of the terror attack.
Police yesterday arrested two men aged in their 30s and a woman in her 60s on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack.
Al-Shamie’s name was last night linked to a property in the town – with a neighbour recognising his face from photographs of the synagogue attacker.
Al-Shamie is understood to have worked as a tutor teaching English and computer programming.
Two men have been confirmed dead in yesterday’s horror. Three other Jewish worshippers were rushed to hospital with serious injuries, one with stab wounds and the other hurt after being hit by the car.
