Manchester Synagogue survivor describes moment 'evil monster tried every door'

A man who helped barricade a Manchester synagoguehas described the moment the terrifying "monster" tried to bash down the building's doors.

Alan Levy was inside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsal l when Jihad Al-Shamie rammed a car into and stabbed worshippers gathering for a service to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Adrian Daulby, 53, is believed to have been shot dead by police while attempting to stop the attacker entering the synagogue. He was killed with Melvin Cravitz, 66, from Crumpsall, a worshipper who helped prevent Al-Shamie getting in.

READ MORE: Wayne Lineker leaves Ibiza after admitting party lifestyle made him 'miserable'

READ MORE: Dramatic footage of 'arson attack' at Mosque as police investigate hate crime

Mr Levy, who is a Chair of the Trustees of Heaton Park Synagogue, described holding the doors to the entrance and said the attacker used knives and plant pots to try to get in.

He told the BBC: "I saw this great, big, evil monster shoulder charge in the front doors, trying to bash them down with a knife in his hand.

"The only thing I heard was him saying 'this is what you're going to get for killing our children'. That's the only thing I heard him say. And we were behind the doors and we were saying 'we are not letting this man in'. He was a deranged, evil monster."

Mr Levy told Sky News Al-Shamie was throwing plant pots at the glass in a desperate bid to gain entry.

"He was throwing plant pots at the glass. He was using a knife to try and get in. 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", recalled Mr Levy.

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.