Synagogue attack victim says Al-Shamie 'radiated evil'

On the morning of 2 October, father-of-four Yoni Finlay was nervous as he prepared to help lead Yom Kippur prayers at his synagogue for the first time.

But not long after the service began, 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie launched a deadly attack on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester.

"It's a very shocking thing to be in the presence of somebody who just wanted to kill Jews," said Mr Finlay, who was shot by a stray police bullet as he barricaded the doors of the synagogue.

"That's all he wanted to do and he was prepared to die for that.

"I've never been that close to evil and I was at that moment. It was radiating off him," said Mr Finlay in his first broadcast interview with Ready to Talk with Emma Barnett.

Shortly before 09:30 GMT, Al-Shamie drove into the gates of the synagogue in Crumpsall, and ran over a security guard before he stabbed two security volunteers including Melvin Cravitz, 66, who died from his injuries.

Al-Shamie then ran at the doors with what appeared to be an explosive device around his waist while brandishing a large knife.

At the time, there were about 40 worshippers inside the synagogue, which holds up to 850 people.

"If he had come two hours later, it could have been a different story," said Mr Finlay..

He remembers hearing screams inside the synagogue to "close the door" before police arrived on the scene about seven minutes later.

"The police arrived and came into the courtyard," said the 39-year-old.

"He went down the steps towards them quite aggressively. They were shouting 'armed police'.

"I was watching through the window and - presumably because of the bomb that they thought he had - they had to open fire and had to stop him.

"So they shot him a number of times and he went down, but he got back up, and again, quite aggressively moved towards them, which is when they shot him again.

"That's when I felt the bullet go into me."

It is believed a single stray police round pierced the synagogue doors, hitting Mr Finlay in the chest and fatally striking his friend Adrian Daulby, 53, who was also barricading the entrance along with six others.

"It just feels like someone's punched you really, really hard," he said.

"I was conscious all the way to the operating theatre."

Mr Finlay did not realise at the time that Mr Daulby had also been struck by the bullet.

"There's no question that what he did saved lives," he said.

"It's a very, very difficult thing to come to terms with and I'm not sure I ever will.

"The very bullet that didn't kill me killed Adrian.

"No matter how well I get physically and even mentally, I think that'll always stay with me."

Despite what happened, Mr Finlay has no ill feeling towards the armed police officers who responded that day.

"The only reason why the police were out that morning was because a terrorist decided to do what he did," he said.

"And therefore, anything that came after that was because of what he tried to do.

"The police that day ran towards danger to protect us."

In the days and weeks after the attack, Mr Finlay said he has been questioned about "how my faith is now".

He said: "The only answer is it's stronger than ever. I think the only way I can get through this is by faith.

"I know that what happened to me was a miracle.

"If I'd been one step to the left or one step to the right, who knows, I wouldn't be here now.

"For whatever reason, I've been given more time. It comes with the responsibility as well of not wasting that time."

Mr Finlay said he was "shocked but not surprised" by what unfolded on Yom Kippur.

"It's been building, it's been coming, and there's a lot of anger, there's a lot of hate," he said.

"It's a very difficult topic and I'm not a politician and I don't have the answers but there is anger because what happened on Yom Kippur morning didn't happen in a vacuum.

"He [Al-Shamie] didn't wake up that morning and decide I'm going to go and kill Jews."

But he adds that since the attack, he has been "overwhelmed by the goodness people are capable of" after being inundated with support and kindness.

"We are capable of good. So much good," he said.

The full interview with Mr Finlay on Ready to Talk with Emma Barnett will be available from 06:00 GMT on Friday 5 December. Listen on BBC Sounds.

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